Total Drama Generations!
by Knifez
Summary: Post RR. After the low ratings of the over-the-top TDAS and TDPI, Chris returns to Wawanakwa. 18 contestants: 6 from TDI, TDROTI, and TDPI, are brought back for a fierce competition of last-person-standing. All three gens mix for the first time, and both drama and romance reach an all time high. Who will win the toughest season yet?...Oh, and AleHeather host the Aftermaths, yikes!
1. Back to Basics: Part One!

** I am BACK with another competition story! I'll give a little backstory on what I'm going for before we get into it.**

**Basically, I always hated how Chris got way more sadistic and deranged after TDWT, and he was one of my favorite characters between TDI-TDWT. So, I've tweaked things a little bit to have his sadism be a part of his contract, and now that's out the window because of the poor ratings of TDAS and TDPI.**

**The campers in this story are ALL 21 years old. I know technically they should be different ages because of different generations but nope, in this story they're all the same age.**

**The OFFICIAL WINNERS of the seasons in this universe are: Owen, Duncan, Heather, Cameron, Mike, Shawn, and the Surfer Dudes.**

**The rest will be explained in the story, I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Welcome to Total Drama Generations!**

* * *

Chris stood on the famous docks of Camp Wawanakwa. The dock had finally gotten some repairs, as there were no chunks missing and it had a fresh coat of paint. The cameras had not yet started rolling, and Chris was rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Yo Chris man, you ready?" Came the voice of the scary camp cook Chef as he walked on screen.

"More than ready!" Chris exclaimed gleefully, "this season is going to be the best yet, I can feel it! No more over the top death-defying challenges, no more stupid remarks about how I wish the contests would just die in a fire. Just clean, dramatic competition between a bunch of youngsters."

"And this cast is definitely gonna bring it," Chef added.

"You know it!" Chris agreed, turning to look at the camera as it finally clicked on.

"Hey viewers, it's been a while!" Chris said with his signature grin, "Welcome to the newest season of Total Drama! We're going _back to our roots_, baby, right here at Camp Wawanakwa!" The camera cut to show an overview of the island, with Chris's continued voiceover, "we've totally remodeled the island back to how it was in Season One! No toxic waste, no fancy mansions, no Fun Zone! Just a crappy old summer camp!" The camera showed the Mess Hall, Boney Island, and the Confessional Can, all looking completely normal.

The host began to pace the Dock, and as he passed Chef, the burly cook gave a coy wave to the cameras. "The producers weren't too stoked with the ratings for the past couple of seasons," Chris admitted, "and I for one, _agree_. Things got way too extreme trying to unnaturally pull out the drama." The host shook his head and make a 'tsk-tsk' noise. "I mean, come _on_! The freakazoids we had are perfectly able to ramp up drama _without_ outside influence!" He gave a little chuckle, "Anyways, we're back on the island for yet another game and another prize of $1,000,000!"

"What about the campers this time, Chris?" Chef asked helpfully from the side as an annoying informercial jingle played.

"Good question, Chef!" Chris told him smugly, "this season, we've taken six campers from each cast: the Original Total Drama Island cast," the picture of the 22 teens on the Dock was shown, taken on the first day of Total Drama Island with Alejandro and Sierra badly photoshopped in. "The Revenge of the Island cast," the picture of the 13 contestants at radioactive Wawanakwa was shown next, "and the Pahkitew Island cast." The picture of the forlorn campers on the mechanical island was shown last.

Chris rubbed his hands together excitedly, "Three boys and three girls from each generation," he stopped talking as the sound of a helicopter suddenly came into earshot, "oh, and here they come now!"

The camera panned to show a massive osprey cargo plane, similar to the one the Pahkitew Island contestants had arrived on. However, this one was different. The cargo hold was full of large, brightly wrapped presents. Two bulky interns began shoving the presents out of the cargo hold.

"Incoming delivery!" Chris called happily as parachutes opened up on each of the presents and floated down onto the Dock of Shame. The presents were very large and there were eighteen in total: six red, six green, and six blue. "Looks like Christmas came early," Chris remarked as he walked over to the first red present. "Let's see what we got, shall we?" He pulled out a pocket knife and cut the ribbon holding the present closed. "Remember," he added as he began to saw through it, "it's been about three years since the last season of Total Drama, so some of these campers are gonna have to get reacquainted," he stopped his sawing, chuckled, and added, "Awesome!" as he finally managed to cut through the ribbon.

With a great spray of confetti, the lid flew off and the contents of the present rose up into view. This person shook out her mane of crazy red hair and gave a loud cheer.

"Yay!" Izzy said, raising her arms in the air and backflipping out of her present. "It's so good to be back!"

"We're glad to have you, Izzy!" Chris smiled.

Izzy looked down and surveyed all the presents, "Oooh! Chris, how'd you know it was my birthday? Gimme!" She dove at one of the presents, but tripped over a gap in the dock and fell into the water.

"Ah-ah," Chris tutted, wagging his finger as Izzy surfaced and sprayed out a bunch of water from her mouth, "only I get to open the presents, you'll just have to wait to see who your competitors are! And it's not your birthday!"

"Aww, party pooper!" Izzy pouted, smacking the water with her fist.

Chris ignored her and walked up to the next red present. He sawed through it. "Welcome our next competitor…Duncan!"

The punk stood up from his present and shook the confetti from his hair, unamused. "I don't know how I let you talk me into another season of this," the punk snapped, stepping out of his box.

"I missed you too, Duncan," Chris teased, "hey, wait a minute, what happened to your green mohawk?"

Duncan raised up and touched his hair. It was true, while he still had the mohawk, it was just a normal black color like the rest of his hair. ANotably all his piercings were gone except for the ones in ears, too. "Eh, I guess I grew out of it."

"Lame," Chris sighed, and Duncan growled at him as he stalked over to the end of the Dock. He was greeted by a soaking wet Izzy.

"They brought you back?" He asked warily, "great…" His attention was quickly diverted when Chris approached the next red present. "Everyone give a warm welcome to…"

"WOOHOO!" Came a very familiar voice from inside the wrapped gift.

"Owen!" Chris snapped at the still closed present, "don't give yourself away before I even open you up!"

"Sorry Chris," came Owen's muffled voice from the still-closed present, "I'm just so _stoked_!"

Chris sighed and opened it up, and there was a huge blitz of white and blonde as the host found himself wrapped up in a tight bear hug. "Owen," he wheezed, worried he'd start to hear his ribs cracking, "can't…breathe!"

Owen let Chris go and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "sorry, I'm just so glad to be back! Total Drama was the best thing to ever happen to me and—" he gave a high-pitched gasp as he looked at the two campers on the other side of the Dock. "Holy mother of fishcakes! Duncan and Izzy!"

"Whoa, big guy," Duncan said worriedly as Owen sprinted at the two, "take it easy...takeiteasytakeiteasy-HURK," his protests were in vain as Owen scooped the punk up and gave him his own crushing hug. Izzy got one too.

Duncan couldn't help but smile as he probed his sore ribs, "good to see you, man."

Owen put Izzy down and gave the punk a high-five. "This is so sweet!"

The next contestant was not nearly as stoked to be there as Owen.

"Great, time for the umpteenth failure in a row," came Noah's dry voice as he shook his head, confetti going everywhere.

"Welcome back, Noah!" Chris told him, "excited to compete again?"

"_Ecstatic_," Noah drawled.

"Maybe you'll break your vicious cycle of losing and win for once," Chris teased, "...but probably not."

Noah just glared at him as he walked past.

"Hey, my little buddy!" Owen gushed as Noah approached the other three.

"Hey Owen," Noah greeted, giving one of his rare smiles at seeing his long time friend.

"You still dating that super hot lawyer chick?" Duncan grinned as Noah stood next to him.

Noah flushed a little but still managed to look apathetic. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes. Emma and I are still together, and we actually just got an apartment in the city together."

"Aww," Izzy gushed, "my little Noah's all grown up!"

"Isn't he?!" Owen blubbered, wiping away tears.

"No hugs," Noah warned him.

As Owen restrained himself from crushing his small friend with love, Chris went over and snipped the second to last red present.

"Welcome back, Bridgette!" Chris said as the clumsy surfer rose from her colorful prison.

"Hey guys!" Bridgette greeted the others warmly.

"Bridgette! Yes! It's so awesome to see you!" Owen cheered, running to the girl and giving her a surprisingly gentle hug.

"Hi Owen!" Bridgette said happily, "Hey Noah and Izzy!" Her expression hardened a little bit as she saw Duncan. "Duncan," she said politely.

"Hey Malibu," Duncan said, just as polite, "long time no see."

"Long indeed," Bridgette said, walking over to stand next to Izzy.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Noah asked, "off blowing the money he won on the Race?"

Bridgette chuckled, "no, he's actually going through college right now!"

Noah actually looked surprised, "Oh, wow. I didn't expect that."

"Me neither," Bridgette admitted, "but I'm so proud of him!"

"Isn't that sweet?" Chris rolled his eyes, approaching the final red present, "now, for the final contestant from our first generation, we have…" He bent down to cut the ribbon. Notably, Duncan looked anxious.

_Snip_.

The top popped off, and out came…

"Ugh, I really got roped into another season, huh?" Gwen said dryly, standing up and dusting herself off. "I guess I really am a glutton for punishment." Noticeably the goth was slightly less pale than she had been in previous season, and while her hair was still dyed the same colors, it was longer, falling past her shoulders and to her upper back.

Duncan let out a nervous little laugh that didn't go unnoticed by Noah, the one sitting next to him. Noah gave him a weird look as Chris walked up to Gwen.

"Hey Gwen, glad to have you back," the host said warmly.

"Yeah, it's a real honor," Gwen said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes found the other campers. She smiled at Bridgette and Owen, looked indifferent at Noah and Izzy, and then saw Duncan.

The change was immediate. Her shoulders hunched up defensively and her face soured. Annoyed, she approached the others.

"Hey Gwen!" Bridgette greeted her friend, giving her a hug which Gwen gladly returned. The two were then glomped by Owen.

Once she had been released, she turned to Duncan, who was looking at her hesitantly.

"Hey Gwen," He said cautiously.

"Hey," she grunted, looking away.

The two elapsed into awkward silence, and Chris couldn't help but rub his hands together.

"Excellent," the host said mischievously, walking over to the green presents. "Time for the next batch of campers." He cut the first green ribbon off and the camper rose up.

"Brick McArthur, reporting for duty!" Brick barked as he immediately saluted. He scanned the six first-gen campers on the other side of the dock and raised his unibrow. "Wow, looks like there's some tough competition this time around!"

"You know it," Duncan smirked, punching his palm.

Brick joined the others at the Dock. "Bridgette, Noah, Izzy, Duncan, Owen, Gwen," he recited each of their names, never lowering his salute, "it shall be an honor to compete against you all."

Most of the others gave him weird looks, but Owen instantly gave him an exuberant, very much incorrect salute right back. "General Brick!" He barked, "I shall do my best, sir!" An annoyed Noah elbowed him gently in the ribs, and the fat boy dropped his salute.

"Hi everyone!" Came a chipper voice from the newly opened box. Zoey herself stepped out onto the docks. She still had her cherry red hair and flower, but her hair was longer and braided down her back.

"Hey girl!" Gwen greeted warmly, surprising some of the others.

"Gwen!" Zoey greeted, walking over and giving the girl a hug. "Hey everyone!" She greeted the others again, "oh I already said that, didn't I…oh well!" She giggled and stood between Brick and Gwen.

The third green present was opened, and the person within it front flipped out onto the dock.

"Sha-booyah!"

Several of the other contestants groaned.

There Lightning stood, sporting a full goatee.

"Lightning, welcome back!" Chris told him.

"Thanks Chris," Lightning grinned, "it's sha-good to be back!" He looked over at the others, "wassup, y'all? You ready for a kick ass competition?"

"Ready to kick your ass!" Izzy hollered, shaking her fist at him.

Lightning grinned, "Lightning accepts your challenge, crazy girl, you're going sha-down!"

Lightning walked over to the others and saw Zoey. "Oh, hey girl," Lightning said, walking up to her.

Zoey looked warily up at the uber-jock, but maintained eye contact. "Hi, Lightning." She said cautiously, "what's up?"

Lightning scratched the back of his head, suddenly looking a little awkward, "Lightning just wanted to…uh…apologize and stuff, for being such a mega _jerk_ on our first sha-season."

Zoey looked pretty shocked by the apology, but recovered quickly, "Oh! Uh…that's okay, Lightning! Thank you for the apology!"

"When did _you_ learn how to apologize?" Duncan added curiously.

Lightning stuck his chest out and thumped it, "Lightning's learned a lot over the last couple of years, mostly thanks to his sha-lovely momma back home. Lightning is ready to be a team player this time around! And maybe make some sha-friends!" He grinned at them and walked over to the far side of the dock beside Izzy.

"Is it just me," Noah whispered to Duncan, "or did he just get a lot more dangerous as a player?"

Duncan nodded solemnly. "Physical _and_ social skills? Hope he's on my team."

Noah scratched his chin, "Hmm…"

Their attention was diverted to the next present, which was now open. "Great, back for another round of fun," came a nasally voice, "ugh, and looks like everyone back is a _loser_."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at the dirt farmer, "man, they really had to go and bring you back, didn't they."

Scott narrowed his eyes right back at her, "listen, coming back here isn't my idea of a good time, but you'd have to be a _moron_ to turn down the chance at a million bucks." He crossed his arms and walked down the dock to stand with the others. He was promptly shoved into the water by Lightning.

"Hey!" The dirt farmer complained as he resurfaced in the chilly water, "what the heck was that for?"

"That's for kicking Lightning off in All-Stars!" Lightning frowned.

"Why wouldn't we have kicked you off? You were being a total dumbass!"

Lightning crossed his arms and huffed, "stupid Boney-Island fish…" he grumbled.

Chris snipped one of the last green presents, and an orange cloud emerged along with the confetti. Chris was left hacking and coughing as the contestant clambered out, seemingly unaffected.

"Ey, oh, what's up Total Drama peeps," Anne Maria smirked, taking out a can of spray paint from her cleavage and spraying her hair.

Noah stared at the girl in horror as she walked past Chris towards them, "it's like everything I hate in a person condensed into one," he whispered to Gwen, who snorted and nodded.

"Anne Maria! What's up!" Owen said happily, offering the girl a high five. Anne Maria accepted it and continued walking, and Owen was left to stare curiously at the orange smears of fake tan on his hand. He gave it a curious lick and gagged.

"Uh, hi Anne Maria," Zoey said awkwardly, remembering the girl's dislike for her in their debut season, "how's it going?"

"Hm? Oh hey Red," Anne Maria said, "your boyfriend coming back?"

"Oh, I don't think so," Zoey told her, "there's already three guys from our season here," she said, pointing at Lightning, Scott and Brick. "And besides, he and I are kind of on a break…"

"Really?" Duncan asked, raising an eyebrow, "the guy was crazy about you."

"I know!" Zoey said quickly, "And I still love him, but it was his idea. He's in intensive therapy to try and deal with his DID." At a few blank stares, she clarified, "Dissociative Identity Disorder, it's the new, better name for Multiple Personality Disorder. I'll be there for him when he gets better, though."

"Aw, that is so beautiful," Owen gushed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I think I'm gonna cry!"

Noah gave his big friend's back a few comforting pats, "Easy big guy, it'll be ok."

"And the final contestant from Revenge of the Island is…" Chris walked up to the final present and snipped it, "Jo!"

Gwen, Lightning, Scott and Duncan simultaneously groaned as the tough jockette emerged, smirking. "Back for another season of butt kicking," she said, glaring at the others, "looks like my competition might actually be tough." She walked down the dock, eyeing most of them with distaste, and finally stood next to Brick. "Long time no see, jarhead."

"Ma'am," Brick said stiffly, noticeably not saluting. Jo grinned at him as Chris approached the blue presents.

"Six more contestants left to reveal," Chris said, cutting the first ribbon and then holding up a needle with green liquid in it. "Just give me a second here," he bent down into the box and jabbed the needle into the person in it, making a few of the other contestants raise their eyebrows at him.

"Uh, what are you doing with that needle?" Scott asked nervously.

"No biggie, no biggie, just waking up one of our toughest contestants," Chris told him.

A loud yawn came from the box, and an ebony hand reached up and grabbed the side of the box. A drowsy Jasmine pulled herself up, bags under her eyes.

"We didn't want to deal with her claustrophobia, so we gave her a mild sedative," Chris explained to the others.

"Hey, how come I didn't get one of those!" Gwen asked, annoyed, "it wasn't pleasant for me in my box either!"

"You didn't ask for one," Chris shrugged, "and besides, your fear is being buried alive, not being in a box. No burial, all bueno, _chica_."

Noah rolled his eyes, "you are actually so obnoxious."

"Drugging a contestant like that isn't really ok…" Zoey said nervously, eyeing the still woozy Jasmine.

"No, it's okay guys," Jasmine said, straightening up and shaking her head to clear her mind, "I was on board with it. It would've been bloody hell for me staying in that box. Much nicer to take a little nap." She rose to her full, considerable height and glanced over everyone, "Is, uh…" her cheeks turned a little pink, "Shawn gonna be here?"

"You mean you don't know?" Jo asked, eyebrow raised. "Aren't you two, like, dating?"

"We are, but I cut a three month straight wilderness expedition short to be here, I hadn't had contact with him while we were out in the middle of nowhere," Jasmine explained, wringing her hands together anxiously.

"You'll just have to wait and see who is next," Chris teased, walking up to the next box.

Beardo rose from this box with a triumphant tune, giving the others a thumbs up.

"It's Beardo, everyone!" Chris told them.

"Yeah-heh-heh, awesome!" Owen cheered, "You're the best, dude!"

Beardo looked flattered and whispered out a timid "T-thanks, man."

Jasmine gave Beardo a warm smile and pat on the back as he walked over to them. "I know you weren't on my team, mate, but I caught the first episode on the reruns. I'll make sure you feel right at home!"

Beardo gave her a grateful smile, "thanks, Jasmine. Not opening up to y'all on that island is one of my biggest regrets. I went there to make friends, and I totally blew it."

"Blew it! Like KA-BOOM!" Izzy cheered, popping up behind Beardo and making the boy jump, "Explosivo likes you, compadre! Make some explosion noises!"

Beardo looked a little nervous, but made a couple of explosion sounds.

Izzy clapped, "BOOM BOOM!" And let out a giggle.

The next box was opened.

"Okay, hi everyone!" Came a nervous, yet hopeful voice. Sammy rose out of the box and smiled at everyone. Notably, she was not wearing her cheerleading outfit, and just wore a plain light blue shirt with khakis and normal shoes.

"Sammy!" Jasmine cheered, walking quickly over to the girl and giving her a rib-crushing hug to rival Owen's. "How've you been?"

"I've actually been really good," Sammy smiled, walking back towards the others with Jasmine, "I moved out of the house and met the cutest guy, and I've been working on getting my confidence back!"

"I'm glad to hear it, you needed to get away from your witch of a sister," Jasmine said.

"Yeah," Duncan added, "I've known some pretty messed up people, but your sister had some serious issues."

"Seriously," Gwen agreed, giving Duncan a slightly surprised look that he didn't catch.

"Aw, thanks you guys," Sammy beamed, "I'm just glad to put it all behind me…" she suddenly grew a little nervous, "Unless…she's not coming back here, is she?"

"You'll just have to wait and see!" Chris told them, wagging a finger as he approached the fourth blue present. He opened it up and dodged the burst of confetti.

"Alright!" Came a calm voice as a small girl leapt out of the box, "let's kick some butt! I lost last time but no way am I missing out on the money again!"

"Welcome back, Sky!" Chris said to the short, pretty girl.

"Hey Chris," Sky greeted back, doing a quick scan of all the other contestants, "hey Jasmine, hey Samey, hey Beardo…phew, no Dave, huh?"

"There's still two more dudes from your season," Anne Maria pointed out, "could be one of them. Hopefully not though, that kid was a scrub."

"You can say that again," Sky chuckled as she walked over to the other contestants. She stood next to Lightning and shot him a slightly bashful glance, "Uh, hey Lightning, I just wanted to say I'm a pretty big fan of yours!"

"Hm?" Lightning looked down at the short girl, "thanks, Shorty."

Sky looked a little put out by the nickname, but turned her attention to Sammy as she let out a cheer.

"That's three girls from our season!" She said excitedly, "that means no Amy!"

"No Amy indeed," Chris confirmed, "she was obnoxious even by _our _standards," he let out a rather mean chuckle, "seriously, I hope that girl got some _help_." He walked over to the second to last box.

"Not Dave…not Dave," Sky whispered.

"Shawn…c'mon Shawn," Jasmine whispered.

As it turned out, it was not Dave _or_ Shawn. It was, instead, a hulking ginger farm boy.

"Hey everyone," Rodney greeted, using a massive paw to wipe confetti off his shoulders, "how's it going!"

"Oh jeez," Jasmine rolled her eyes, "not you again."

Rodney chuckled a little and walked down the dock, his big feet making the dock shake a little with each step. "I know, I was a total loser back on Pahkitew Island, but I've gotten better, I promise!"

"Oh yeah?" Jasmine didn't seem convinced, especially since Rodney's eyes were glued to the clouds. "How about you actually look at me and say it again."

Rodney let out a nervous giggle and looked down at Jasmine. He immediately flushed bright red and began to sweat. "See…" his voice sounded strained, and he took a couple deep breaths, "I just…gotta focus…and I can form sentences!" He tore his eyes away from Jasmine and his flush receded, "it doesn't help that all the ladies here are so attractive," he added, pouting.

"Mate, you are so weird," Jasmine sighed as she shook her head.

"I'm trying," Rodney defended himself, "it's hard work but I'm trying!"

"It seems you are," Sky admitted, "just try not to be creepy, ok?"

Rodney didn't look at her, but gave a thumbs up in her general direction. "You got it! I don't wanna be a creep…"

Most of the contestants from the first two generations were watching this exchange, feeling very awkward.

"Wow, and I thought _I _was weird," Izzy commented, turning to look at Chris with a raised eyebrow.

"And I thought _our _cast was bad," Scott said with a roll of his eyes.

"Where'd you find these clowns?" Anne Maria added, applying her fourth coat of bright red lipstick in the last ten minutes.

Chris shrugged, "I dunno, but enough chit-chat, we've got one more person left to introduce."

Both Jasmine and Sky turned back to look at the box.

"Oh god, what if it's Dave…" Sky winced.

"Or Topher," Samey added.

"Or Leonard," Jasmine groaned.

"Or Max!" All three repeated at the same time, giving each other terrified glances, "Please, please be Shawn," the three girls echoed, looking at the box.

The box opened…and no one came out.

"Huh?" Chris was confused and peered into the box. "HUH!?" He reached in and pulled out a sleeping intern. He tossed the intern roughly onto the dock, where he awoke groggily. "Intern," Chris said sternly, "what the heck happened?"

"I tried to get him, but he got the better of me," the intern said woozily, "said he didn't wanna get cramped into a dark place. Knocked me over the head and stuffed me in the box."

"Well yeah," Came a new voice from behind Chris, causing the host to jump and turn to the edge of the Dock by the water. Clambering out of the water and onto the Dock was a soaking wet Shawn.

"Shawn!" All the Pahkitew Island contestants cheered, very glad to have the survivalist over the alternative males.

"Hey guys," Shawn smiled at them before turning to Chris. "C'mon Chris, did you _actually_ think I'd be okay with being confined like that?"

"You could've just been sedated," Chris protested, "you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Tchyeah, that sounds like a damn good way to wake up as a _zombie_!" Shawn scoffed, before turning to get a better look at the seventeen other campers at the Dock. His face broke into a huge grin. "Jasmine!" He ran towards her and leapt into her arms, and she caught him bridal style.

This caused a few snorts and mocking laughs from some of the others, but Bridgette, Zoey and Owen all let out audible "awww's".

They leaned in and shared a nice kiss. "I thought you were still going to be out in the wild!" The boy told her excitedly as she set him down.

"I cut it short to be here," Jasmine admitted, looking thoroughly excited to see the scruffy boy, "I didn't know if you were gonna be here, I'm so glad you are!"

"Me too," Shawn said, "I'm ready to win me another million dollars!"

Sky frowned at this, but Shawn and Jasmine were too busy looking at each other to notice.

"You'll have to get through me first," Jasmine said, giving him a playful noogie, which was easy considering their height difference.

Shawn readjusted his displaced beanie and just grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist as Chris walked down the dock towards the eighteen.

"And here we have our cast for this season," the host said jovially.

Everyone, especially the newer generations, eyed the host suspiciously. "I'm surprised you haven't blown us sky high yet," Jo said suspiciously.

"Or tried to kill us somehow," Sammy added.

Chris chuckled at that and stopped in front of them. "I actually wanted to talk to you guys about that." He turned to the Gen I campers, Owen and Duncan specifically, "you two made it far in both of the first two seasons, remember how I was then?"

The boys thought hard, "what, an egotistical jerk?" Duncan asked.

"Naw," Owen said, "he wasn't like that all the time. He was much more professional back then! And he had a playful side too!"

"What, like playful as in playing with your lives?" Sky asked, confused.

"No!" Owen proclaimed, "Chris was a pretty fun guy up until Season Four, honest!" He faltered, "then you did get kinda…mean."

Gwen snorted, remembering her time on All-Stars, "_that's_ putting it lightly."

"I know, I know, but I have a reason for it," Chris told them, "While I admit I did get a _little_ too into it at times, I was under producers orders to make challenges and everyday life more brutal for you guys." The host began to pace, "the challenges had to be upped to a 100 on the danger scale, your environment had to be as crappy as possible, and I was to be an omnipotent, malicious god presiding over your worthless lives!"

None of the campers looked too pleased at this description, but let the host continued his impromptu speech.

"But that's over," The host stopped pacing and turned to them, "the producers have finally agreed to let things go back to the way they were in the earlier seasons. The challenges will be tough but not ridiculous. Your accommodations will be mediocre but not horrific. Your food will be meager but not inedible." He put one hand behind his back and one outstretched, pointer finger pointing to the horizon in a heroic pose, "the drama shall come from the teens, and not try to be forcefully extracted via outside measures!" He let his hands drop and turned to look at the campers, who all looked pretty surprised.

There was silence for a few seconds before Scott spoke up, "So…no mutated sharks?"

"Nope, no radioactive _nothing_," Chris confirmed, "the island has been cleared ten times over."

"No winner's mansion?" Lightning asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope, in fact we'll be bunking TDA style, but more on that later." Chris said.

There was silence for a few more seconds as the campers digested this.

"Huh, this season might not actually be as bad I was worried it'd be," Bridgette said, a hint of optimism in her voice.

"Don't get deluded, it'll still be tough," Chris warned them, "and I'm still very much your host and the person in charge. But I won't be advocating your deaths at every turn…at least not publicly," he finished with a teasing tone to his voice. His demeanor changed to serious, "so, we've added a couple things to the Island, so let's go show them to you. Also, the Confessional is now open for use!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"So far this doesn't seem too bad," Gwen admits before sighing heavily, "it just really _sucks_ that Duncan is back. We left off on pretty bad terms. I haven't even _seen_ the guy since All-Stars when I broke up with him and he got carted off to prison. Literally the last words we said to each other was four years ago when I said 'it's over'….I just hope he leaves me alone," she shakes her head, "I am _done_ with relationships on this show, and I'm just here to make some cash."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Sky.) **

Sky pumps her fists, "so you're telling me this season will be _easier_ than my debut season?" She grins, "alright! I came second last time on a grueling island with _nothing_, so this'll be a _breeze_!" Her face grows slightly more serious, "thought the competition this season does look pretty stiff. Basically everyone is a veteran or a threat in some way or another," she taps her chin, "except for maybe Beardo, but who knows what kinda hidden talents that guy could have!"

**(End Confessional: Sky.)**

* * *

The group was about to leave the dock, but Chris stopped short, causing a bunch of the campers to bump into one another. "Oh wait! We gotta take the season cast photo, I almost forgot! Everyone, to the end of the Dock!"

"WOOHOO! Cast photo time, yeah-heh!" Owen screamed, racing to the other end of the Dock.

"Ugh, I hate group photos," Sky frowned, "I always have to sit up front because I'm so short."

Lightning rubbed his goatee, "Hmm, Lightning has a plan!" Sky gave him a curious look as they all grouped up.

"Now group up," Chris said, pulling out a camera. "Nice, almost got it, and...ok!"

**Click.**

Chris looked at the photo:

The campers were in three rows, two standing and one sitting. Anne Maria was lying on the very left side of the Dock doing a signature sexy pose with one of her hands behind her head and a seductive gaze. Scott was next to her sitting criss-cross-applesauce, smirking deviously at the camera. Sammy was on her knees next to Scott, smiling shyly at the camera. Izzy was next to her, flashing a 'Rock on' sign with her signature crazy grin. The last person sitting down was Beardo, who was also smiling at the camera. The second row consisted of the shorter people that chose to stand. Duncan was on the far left of this row, shooting a side glance at Gwen, who was next to him. The goth looked a little sulky and also had her arms crossed. Bridgette was next to Gwen, smiling in her usual laid-back way at the camera as she gave it finger guns. Brick was next to the surfer, and had wanted to do another salute for his photo, but he had been brought into a headlock by Owen. The big guy, who was in the center of the photo, had recreated his original pose by headlocking Brick to his left, and Noah to his right. Noah looked a mixture between amused and annoyed. Shawn was next to Noah. Behind him, Jasmine had his arms wrapped around his waist and her chin resting on the top of his head, and both were grinning at the camera. Zoey was the second to last person on the right, this time opting for a more fierce grin, her confidence no doubt brought on by her previous high placings. On the far right, Jo gave the camera a confident and haughty look. The back consisted of Rodney on the far left, who was awkwardly looking at the clouds to avoid blushing in the photo. Jasmine was in the middle, arms wrapped around her boyfriend from behind, and Lightning, who was grinning as Sky cheered from atop his shoulders.

"Looks great, guys," Chris complimented, "now, let's get on with the island!"

* * *

"Alright, so most of you are already familiar with the amphitheater, elimination area, and the Mess Hall," Chris announced as they walked through the campground, "but one new addition is the Tuck Shoppe!"

"The Tuck Shoppe?" Bridgette repeated, confused, "but that was there in Island, wasn't it? Granted it was just a shoddy tent with some candy bars…"

"It was," Chris agreed, "but it was shut down fairly early on. We've made it a permanent addition to the island."

Sure enough, they approached a rather shoddy looking store in a log cabin style. It looked very similar to the Mess Hall but was slightly smaller, and had the words "Ye Olde Tucke Shoppe" painted crudely in big red leaders on the sign above the door. It was located closer to the Docks and the elimination area, and was the first building you would see if you arrived on the Dock and walked inland.

"Winners of each challenge will get some "Wawanakwa Bux" to spend here," Chris told them, "and everyone gets a few Bux at the start of each challenge. Your amounts will not be tracked, but you can use it to buy stuff here."

"Wait a second," Rodney said as they all entered and began to look around, "is that…booze?"

Sure enough, there was a large shelf overflowing with alcohol. Beer, wine, and spirits of different kinds were stocked full.

"Yup! You're all 21 now, that's legal drinking age anywhere in the world!" Chris told them, "if you guys wanna relax with a drink after a tough challenge and dramatic elimination ceremony, who am I to stop you?"

"Oh and that's all, is it?" Noah said cynically.

"Well, people do tend to get a little more dramatic when they've been drinking," Chris admitted, not looking very sheepish at all. In fact, the host was grinning.

"At least he's honest about it," Sammy muttered.

"Hey, we've experienced worse ways for him to try and stir up drama," Scott said obnoxiously, "I'll take a good ol' beer over toxic waste _any_ day."

Most of the contestants made noises of agreement.

"Now, despite it's shoddy appearance, we do have a decent security system in place. You _will_ be caught if you try and steal something from here," Chris said, with a pointed look at Duncan, "is everybody _clear_?"

Duncan noticed the look and snapped his fingers sheepishly, a guilty smirk on his face. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"There is also an assortment of snacks and toys here," Chris said, gesturing to an aisle with things like frisbees, soccer balls, playing cards, and more toys and fun-havers. Further down the store were bags of chips, cookies, and candies. Owen had to be forcibly restrained by Jasmine and Shawn before he hurtled into the aisle, drool streaming from his mouth.

"Ooh, I like this," Izzy said, looking at a small bundle of fireworks. She reached out to take it, but Brick smacked her hand out of the way.

"No stealing," he said sternly, ignoring her annoyed look.

"I just wanna see it," the redhead pouted.

"That's everything here," Chris said, and everyone left the Tucke Shoppe.

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah has his arms crossed and is looking sternly at the camera, "Izzy must be kept away from the alcohol at _all costs_. The thought of a drunk Izzy literally makes me start sweating in terror," he raises his arms and shows the sweat stains beginning to form under his pits, "See?!"

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Anne Maria.)**

Anne Maria flicks her hair, and the familiar metallic gong rings out through the Confessional, "Sure, it ain't no movie set or fancy jet, but at least there ain't no more toxic waste all over the place," she waves her hands around exaggeratedly, "and make no mistake, I ain't quitting this time no matter _what. _I'm here to win, got that?"

**(End Confessional: Anne Maria.)**

* * *

"And the last building I need to show you guys is the Rec Center," Chris said, walking up to yet another shoddy looking building. This one was situated almost exactly between the Mess Hall and sleeping area.

They walked in and Chris flicked the light switch on. The style was very in keeping with Wawanakwa, as everything was very worn out and beachy. There was a pool table, ping pong table, a mini fridge, an old TV with an old-school video game system and a VCR.

"Everything's outdated and shoddy," Jasmine noted, "at least you guys are staying in theme."

"I know, right?" Chris agreed.

"So I'm guessing this place is for winner's only?" Bridgette asked.

"Nope, anyone is able to use this," Chris told them. "I wasn't kidding when I said we've upped the accommodations a little."

"Emphasis on a _little_," Jo snorted, "this isn't anything like that winner's hotel in All-Stars, all the crap here is old and worn down!"

She was quickly elbowed in the side by Scott. "This place is a palace," the poor farmer said in awe, looking around, "and we get to use this _all_ the time?!"

The host seemed amused by Scott's child-like wonder. "Yes indeed. Now, let's get to the sleeping arrangements."

The group walked outside and towards where the old cabins used to be. Instead of the cabins, though, there were trailers just like the ones used in Total Drama Action.

"You guys won't be split by teams, just boys and girls." Chris explained.

"Aw man, it's gonna be cramped with nine dudes in a trailer," Rodney said nervously.

"Especially with Farticus over here," Duncan joked, and Owen giggled sheepishly at his punk friend.

"Well, only eight of you," Shawn said, "I'll just find a nice tree."

"Actually, you all have to sleep in the trailer," Chris said, "I can't really elaborate why but it'll be necessary for a few challenges."

Shawn did not look happy at all about this, but Duncan walked up to the scruffy boy and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, there's an escape hatch in the roof."

Shawn blinked, "that…actually does make me feel better." He admitted, "how'd you know that?"

"I slept in those crappy trailers for a whole season," Duncan smirked, remembering his victory in Total Drama Action, "you're not the only one that likes to take note of all the exits in a place, let's just put it that way."

Shawn nodded and everyone returned their attention back to Chris.

"Why the switch from the cabins to the trailers?" Noah asked, "not that I'm complaining."

"Well, it was much easier to put two trailers in than adding a third cabin," Chris told them, and the implication of those words hit the teens at the same time.

"Three cabins?" Lightning repeated, scrunching his face up, "wait, so that means…"

"Three teams," Noah muttered, hand on his chin, "Interesting…"

"Exciting!" Owen and Izzy cheered at the same time.

"This'll be interesting," Jasmine agreed with Noah.

"Yes indeed, there will be _three _teams this season," Chris confirmed, "but that's not all, there's some special requirements for them!"

This caught all of their attention.

"Each team will have a temporary team captain to _choose_ the teams!" Chris told them, "and the real twist is, you can only have one person per gender per generation per team!"

This sentence was very confusing for most of the campers, even the ones that weren't stupid, and the next fifteen seconds was spent in silence as they tried to figure it out.

Chris sighed, "fine, let me spell it out for you. Each team can only have one dude and one chick from each generation of campers. So each team will have a boy and girl from TDI, a boy and girl from TDRI, and a boy and girl from TDPI."

"That's actually pretty interesting," Noah admitted, "nice twist."

"I know, right?" Chris smirked, "I _am_ pretty good."

"Yeah, when you're not trying to kill us," Sky mumbled.

"So, who're these captains going to be?" Rodney asked, looking a little hopeful.

"Well it just so happens that we have three runner ups here, each from a different generation," Chris explained, "so…step up…Gwen, Zoey, and Sky!" Two of the girls stepped up, but Sky remained in line with the others.

"Uh, Sky? Let's go," Chris told her.

"Um, if it's all the same to you Chris, I'd rather not pick my team," Sky said nervously.

Chris looked surprised, "Really? Why? I would've thought, being so competitive, you would've loved to pick your team!"

"I have my reasons," Sky told him.

Chris looked a little stumped, "Um…I mean, well…"

"I'll fill in," Jasmine offered, "I'm the next highest Pahkitew contestant that didn't win," she said with a proud look at Shawn, who blushed.

Chris scratched his head, "Oooookay, I guess that works? Gwen, Zoey and…Jasmine, come on up, I guess."

The three girls all stepped up. "So you'll each pick your teams," Chris continued, "but first, to add a little bit of fun, _I'll_ be putting one person on each of your teams first!"

The three girls gasped.

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

Gwen pleads to the sky, hands clasped, "Please, _please_ don't put Duncan on my team."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

Duncan looks to the heavens with a pleading look, hands extended. "Please, _please_ put me on Gwen's team!"

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

"So for Gwen's team, let's put…Duncan on it!" Chris announced, a familiar devilish smirk on his face.

Both Gwen and Duncan gasped, and Bridgette shot a sympathetic glance Gwen's way.

"Duncan, join your team," Chris said, and Duncan approached Gwen with a slightly nervous smile.

"Hey, guess we're teammates again," Duncan said.

Gwen rolled her eyes and turned away from the punk, and he gave the back of her head a hurt look.

"Zoey, let's give you…_Rodney_."

Zoey didn't look particularly thrilled about this, but didn't comment as the larger of the two gingers competing walked over to her.

"As for Jasmine, let's give you…Owen. Yeah, that'll be good," Chris grinned.

"Alright, new teammie, let's rock this!" Owen boasted, walking up to a smiling Jasmine and giving her a high five.

"Fine by me, Chris," Jasmine shrugged, "Owen's shown more than enough that he's a good competitor."

Owen blushed, "aw, stop it you!"

Chris rubbed his hands together, "alright, now you ladies are free to pick your teams. Remember, you can only have one person from each category, so choose wisely! Jasmine, you're up first!"

"Shawn, of course," Jasmine said instantly, and Shawn grinned as he ran over to join his teammate. The two hugged and Owen high-fived Shawn.

"Zoey, you're next. Then Gwen, and the cycle just goes like that," Chris told them.

Zoey looked over all the available contestants. "I'll choose…Sky."

Sky grinned and walked over to join Zoey and Rodney. "Badass chicks like us have to stick together," Sky said. Zoey smiled and nodded in agreement.

Gwen looked at everyone, "Well since I can't choose Bridgette, I'll choose…Sammy, I guess. She seems nice and normal."

Sammy looked surprised at being chosen so early but smiled and walked over to Gwen and Duncan. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys," she said politely.

It was now Jasmine's turn to pick again. "So I can't pick Beardo or Noah," she mused as she looked over anyone, "let's go with Bridgette then, eh?"

Bridgette smiled and walked over to them. "Yay! I was hoping I'd get picked for this team."

Zoey turned to Rodney and Sky, "you guys got any preference on who I should pick?"

"Pick Lightning!" Sky said quickly.

"Lightning?" Zoey repeated, a little confused. "Uh…I dunno…he and I haven't always gotten along too well…"

"He does seem like he'd be a useful asset to the team," Rodney pointed out, "I mean, with you and Sky's skills and Lightning and mines strength, we'll be pretty hard to beat!"

"That is true…" Zoey conceded, "oh…I guess so…" she raised her voice, "We choose Lightning!"

Lightning smirked and walked over to them. "Alright! It's about time Lightning was sha-picked! It's unbelievable that he wasn't first pick!"

Zoey grimaced, but Sky gave her an assuring pat on the back.

Gwen looked at the others left. She couldn't pick Noah or Izzy, and that left Beardo, Scott, Brick, Jo, and Anne Maria.

"What do you know about him?" Gwen asked Sammy, pointing to Beardo.

"He's nice," Sammy assured her, "and I think he's willing to try and make friends with everyone and be a good teammate."

"Don't pick him," Duncan advised, "he looks weak and lame. Go for someone like Brick, at least the dude has muscle," Gwen glared at him, and he fell silent.

"I'm picking _Beardo_," Gwen said with a spiteful look at Duncan. The punk rolled his eyes as Beardo awkwardly made his way over.

"Actually, you'd have to have picked him anyways," Noah told them, "Jasmine already picked Shawn and Zoey has Rodney. He was the only Pahkitew dude left."

Gwen blinked, "oh, yeah."

Jasmine looked at the rest of the campers still available. "Brick, get over here," she told him.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Brick saluted.

"Alright, we have all the muscle we need," Zoey said to herself, "and while none of us are exactly _dumb_, none of us are super smart either…I pick Noah!"

Noah smirked as he joined her team, "excellent choice, my dear. Excellent choice."

Zoey giggled, "Well, you were the only TDI guy left, so you'd end up on my team sooner or later."

"I guess I'll go with…Jo," the goth finally said, not looking too happy about her choice. She didn't have much option though, as it was either her or Anne Maria.

"Alright, that means you're with us, Anne Maria," Jasmine said, not looking too pleased either about having the Jersey Girl on her team.

"We get Izzy then," Zoey said, also looking a little nervous.

"Ugh, and that leaves Scott with us," Gwen said, slapping her face with her palm.

Chris took center stage again with a low whistle. "Wow, these are some _interesting teams_! We have:

Team One: Gwen, Duncan, Sammy, Beardo, Jo, and Scott!

Team Two: Zoey, Lightning, Noah, Izzy, Sky, and Rodney!

And Team Three: Jasmine, Shawn, Brick, Anne Maria, Bridgette, and Owen!"

"Do we get to name ourselves?" Owen asked excitedly, rubbing his chubby hands together.

"Nah, that pleasure belongs to me," Chris smirked, rubbing his hands together.

"Prepare for three variations of 'Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot'," Noah snarked.

"Nah, that would be hilarious, but these team names are gonna be memorable!" The host paced back and forth in front of the campers and surveyed them, "Hmm," he stopped first in front of Zoey, Lightning, Sky, Rodney, Noah, and Izzy, "you guys will be called…Team Alpha!"

A gold circle appeared next to them. On it was emblazoned a capital A, and there were laurels of victory entwined all around it.

"Oh great, you might as well call us Team Victory 2.0," Noah groaned.

"Nah, you guys don't have DJ here to curse you," Chris grinned, "the only cursed stuff here is on Boney Island."

"Besides," Zoey added optimistically, "we didn't name ourselves, so it's not like it could be a jinx!"

"Sha-yeah, this team is gonna own!" Lightning hooted.

Chris approached the team of Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen, Anne Maria, and Brick. "You guys shall be known as…Team Oddball!"

A dark purple circle appeared next to them. On it was a lighter purple, cartooney smiley face with crazy, bugged out eyes.

"Oddball?" Jasmine repeated, offended, "What the hell?"

"It's true," Chris defended himself, "You're an outback survivalist freak, Brick is all military gung-ho, Owen's a fart machine, I don't even have to _explain_ Shawn and Anne Maria," he turned to Bridgette, "and…well, I guess Bridgette is pretty normal. She did French-kiss a pole that one time, though."

Bridgette flushed in anger, "Shut up, Chris! That was a long time ago."

"I know, I know," Chris said, not looking very intimidated by the skinny surfer as he walked over to the last team. "As for you guys, you'll be known as Team Nuclear!"

A sunset orange circle appeared to them. On it was a huge mushroom cloud explosion that was a little lighter orange than its background.

"Nuclear?" Duncan repeated before he shrugged, "Meh, that's kinda cool, I'll take it."

"Why Nuclear?" Jo asked, suspicious.

"I'm glad you asked, Jo!" Chris told her, "with Duncan and Gwen's awkward past baggage," Duncan was shown looking awkwardly at Gwen while she frowned and turned away, "Sneaky Scott being all dirtbaggy and scummy," Scott was shown rubbing his hands together and chuckling darkly to himself, "Beardo's social anxiety," Beardo was shown sweating profusely, "and your bossy, annoying, obnoxious, smelly…" as Chris continued to insult her, Jo's face got redder and redder and she began to grind her teeth.

"Mean spirited, overconfident," Chris continued to tick off his fingers, "arrogant, bad hair, got ousted by a weakling…"

"Alright! Shut up!" Jo shouted at him.

"I think I've made my point," Chris smiled, "wait, what was my point again? I can't remember, I got too carried away with insulting Jo…"

The jockette cracked her knuckles, "you better watch your mouth."

Chris held his hands up in surrender, "anyways, you guys are called Team Nuclear because you're basically just a nuclear reactor of drama waiting to meltdown," he scratched his chin, "oh, and you guys also have Sammy, but I doubt she'll add much, drama-wise."

The blonde in question chuckled shyly and shrugged, "I'm fine with that. I had enough drama last time I was here."

The host rolled his eyes. "Well that's lame. Anyways, your team names have been 'Chris'tened: Team Alpha, Team Oddball, and Team Nuclear!"

"So when's our first challenge or whateva?" Anne Maria asked impatiently, "I'm ready to get this show on the road."

"Well first you need to move into your trailers and unpack your luggage," Chris told them.

"Yeah, where is our luggage?" Sky asked.

As if on cue, a big osprey plane zoomed overhead, and eighteen suitcases were thrown out to land in a heap next to the contestants.

"Oh…well I guess that answers that," Sky said.

"Unpack and settle." Chris told them, "Lunch is being served at the Mess Hall in an hour, and then we'll have our fist challenge after that."

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

Jo frowns at the camera, "if that greased up old _prick_ thinks he can get away with publicly insulting me, he's got another thing coming!" A sadistic grin begins to form on her face, "I'll make him pay for that eventually…I dunno when or how, but I will!"

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Rodney.)**

Rodney taps his large fingers together, a little nervous. "I came back for the cash and I do _not_ wanna get distracted by girls this time around…but why do all three ladies on my team have to be such mega hotties?" His gaze gets a little dreamy, "Zoey with that cherry red hair, Sky all petite and lithe, and Izzy with her free spirit." He heaves a great sigh, but snaps out of it. "No, Rodney! Focus!"

**(End Confessional: Rodney.)**

* * *

The nine boys walked up the trailer.

"Who gets the solo bunk?" Scott asked as they all walked into the trailer.

The trailer was just like it had been in Total Drama Action. Five bunk beds were built into the walls in the far end of the trailer. There was a sink and a dusty shelf with equally dusty drinking glasses on it, and the remaining space was taken up by a big oaken table. There were, not coincidentally, 9 crappy folding lawn chairs of different colors and styles scattered around the table.

"Oooh, ooh, Beardo, let's bunk together, dude!" Owen said, friendly as always as he walked up to the chubby black boy, "we can stay up late and tell stories to each other, and eat candy!"

Beardo smiled at him, "Alright, sounds fine with me."

"Hold on guys," Shawn said, walking over to the beds and examining them, "Looks like Chris had other ideas in mind." He pointed at a welded plaque on the bed, and there were two names on it. The first was Duncan. Under that, there was a line, assumedly meant to symbolize that Duncan would be on top. The name under that was Scott.

"Ugh, great," Duncan drawled, glaring at the ginger boy, who glared right back.

"Ooh! Who's Lightning with?" Lightning asked, running over and searching each bed until he found his name. "Lightning's on the bottom here, and he's bunking with…Brick." The jock frowned and turned to look at Brick. "You didn't bring that sha-obnoxious alarm clock with you this time, right?"

"Worry not, cadet, my clock is at home." Brick told him as he walked over to his new bed.

"Pfft, Lightning would _not_ be a cadet in the army," he corrected, "he'd be like…a General! A Mega General! A Stupendous Super Mega General!"

As Brick began to lecture Lightning about how those were not in fact real military titles, Noah located his bunk. "Looks like I'm with you, Farmer Brown."

"Cool, eh." Rodney shrugged.

"Yay! We're bunkmates anyways!" Owen cheered. Beardo gave him a 'ding ding' and a thumbs up.

"I'm solo, nice," Shawn smiled, "and my bunk is close to the escape hatch!" He looked up at said hatch and stood on his suitcase. He easily unlatched the small metal door and opened it up.

"Hey, that's a nice way to get fresh air in!" Rodney observed, breathing deeply as if to emphasize his point.

"Yeah, God knows we'll need that with Owen in here," Noah said dryly, and the fat boy giggled.

"We should probably check the Tucke Shoppe for a box fan or something to put in the window," Owen said sheepishly, "y'know, create a ventilation system for my gas…"

Scott smirked, "maybe we can direct it towards the girls trailer."

"No way," Brick protested, "why would we do that?!"

Scott shrugged, "cause it's funny?"

"While it may be funny," Duncan admitted, "Army Boy is right. We all have girls on our team, and the last thing we want to do is piss them off by subjecting them to Owen's fumes."

_Pfffhhtbbbttt._

"Aw, dude!" Lightning waved his hand in front of his face. "Not cool!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it!" Owen said before he tooted again. "Oh no, something's coming!" he raced to his suitcase and tore it open. Noah, for some reason, ran to one of the drawers and yanked it open. "Where is it?!" Owen pleaded with his suitcase as he began hurling clothes out over his shoulder. Somehow, they all managed to land perfectly in the drawer Noah had opened, and Owen finally found his prize. He straightened from his suitcase and held up his prize: A roll of toilet paper.

"Uh, don't they have TP here?" Beardo asked, suddenly looking scared.

"I'm sure they do," Owen said, unrolling the toilet paper, "but this is my custom made special _32-ply_ toilet paper! It's really the only stuff that can keep up with me." Brick was shown looking nauseous, "and it's super comfy!" Owen gave the TP a quick nuzzle and giggled before his stomach rumbled ominously. "Uh-oh…gotta go!" And in a flash, the fat boy was gone.

"Man, that guy is strange," Scott said, shaking his head as he began to unpack his suitcase.

"Pfft, you're telling me," Noah said, "at least you didn't have to put up with it for two years on a bunch of different reality shows."

"Stuff it, dweeb," Duncan told him, "Owen's your friend, don't try and deny it."

"He is my friend," Noah shot back, "but it doesn't mean he isn't hard to live with."

"Settle down, soldiers," Brick said.

The boys quieted down and continued to unpack.

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen.)**

The Confessional is filled with noxious green fumes. "I couldn't remember where the bathrooms were," Owen admitted, "and I also kinda ran outta time…I hope Chris isn't too mad that I just destroyed the Confessional…" The door suddenly opens and Chris pokes his head in, a clothespin attached to his nose and a frown on his face. Owen screams in alarm.

"You're lucky we added plumbing to the Confessional this season," Chris told him angrily, reaching behind the toilet to press a button. The sounds of flushing can be heard, and the green fumes begin to dissipate.

"Ohhh, so that's what that splashing was," Owen said, "I just thought it started out as a liquid and then got solid." At Chris's weird look, Owen adds defensively, "Hey, it's more common than you think!"

"Uhhh…no. No it isn't." Chris said flatly, retracting his head. "And don't do this again!"

**(End Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

"Ergh, this trailer is kind of cramped," Jasmine winced, "at least I got the top bunk."

Their trailer was literally identical to the boys, tables, sink, shelves and chairs. The only difference were the names engraved on the beds.

"It's not cramped," Jo said from the bed underneath her, "you're just _freakishly_ tall!"

"Hey, leave Jasmine alone," Sammy defended her.

"It's just a fact, Wonder Twin," Jo told her, "I'm not bashing on her."

"Just calm down, guys," Bridgette pleaded, on her bunk above Zoey.

Jo threw her hands up in disgust, "I'm calm! I'm not even yelling!"

"Yeah but you talk all aggressive and stuff!" Izzy chimed in from her bunk above Anne Maria, "You're all," she dropped her tone and bared her teeth, which were suddenly pointy, "You! You're too tall! Ugh, Mean Names! Ugh!"

"I do not sound like that," Jo protested.

"See, there it is again!" Izzy said excitedly.

Jo groaned and rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"All y'all just need to shut it," Anne Maria said, finishing putting the last of her things inside her drawer. "I do _not_ want to hear you guys all squabbling and making all kinda noise like some city pigeons!"

Sky, Jasmine and Sammy all looked at each other.

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

"Wow, everyone from the other seasons are so…_argumentative_ with each other," Sammy sighs, rubbing her arm. "At least Sky and Jasmine are here, they're awesome. Shawn is cool too, and Beardo seems like a nice guy. Rodney is…well he's Rodney, but I think he means well." She taps her chin, "I think being stuck with Amy while I was on Pahkitew Island didn't let me see that, all in all, most people from our season were pretty nice!" She smiles gratefully, "I'm _so_ glad to be back here without Amy."

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

Jo growls, "so far this sucks! Everyone's just making fun of me! That's supposed to be _my_ job!"

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

Everyone had finished unpacking and were now dining on food at the Mess Hall.

"Wow, this food brings back some _weird_ nostalgia." Gwen remarked as she ate her mediocre meal. "Like, _really _weird."

"Really?" Owen asked, finishing his fourth plate, "It only brings back good memories for me! Total Drama Island was _awesome_!"

"Not really," Noah drawled.

"You only say that cause you were kicked out so early, Short Stuff," Anne Maria said dismissively. Noah glared at her. "What? It's true."

"I know it's true," Noah shot back, "it's _because_ it's true that I have such bad memories of this place. At least in World Tour I got to actually compete again."

"Before Alejandro booted you out," Scott mocked, "y'know, the guy who's better than you in pretty much every way?"

"Shut up, Scott," Zoey frowned.

"Mock me all you want, dirt-face," Noah snapped, "at least I didn't get so messed up I had to spend months in some trauma chair."

Scott flushed and paled at the same time, a rather odd look for the boy, and he slammed his fork against the table. "Say that again." He growled.

Noah scoffed and leaned back in his seat, "you don't scare me. Baby bunnies scare me more than you do. Hell, even _Bridgette_ scares me more than you do, and she's Ms. Crunchy Granola Happiness."

"Pfft, you've obviously never been there when she plays poker," Duncan muttered under his breath.

"Hey, leave me out of this," Bridgette said, though she did look a little amused at Noah's jibe.

"Would you all shut up," Gwen snapped, startling a few of the others, "aren't we a little old for all this petty squabbling?"

Noah, however, seemed to be on a roll. "We're not forty, Gwen, we're twenty-one. Just because you've decided you're 'too cool to argue' doesn't mean the rest of us are onboard."

"I'm not gonna rise to your petty insults, Noah."

"Man, you _all_ need to shut up!" Lightning whined, "Lightning is just trying to sha-eat his meal, and he's gotta listen to you all _whining_ and _complaining_ and just generally being _annoying_. Goth Girl is right, ain't y'all a little old for this?" He glared down at them all, and a few hung their heads in shame.

Jo, however, rolled her eyes. "You're weak, Lightning," she taunted, hoping to bait the boy into disproving his own point.

Lightning scoffed, "oh yeah?" He stood up, swallowing the bait hook, line and sinker, "Well you're just a stupid head!"

"Nice insult, toddler-toes!"

Shawn and Jasmine shared a look with each other as Jo and Lightning descended into increasingly juvenile insults. "I think I can see why Chris didn't need to go to such extreme measure with these guys," the zombie boy whispered to his girlfriend.

"I see what you mean," Jasmine said gravely. "They've all got short tempers, eh?" They both looked over to see Sky and Brick entering the argument between Jo and Lightning, Sky taking Lightning's side and Brick trying to play mediator.

Anne Maria was now yelling at Rodney because she thought she saw him check out her chest, and the farm boy was mumbling nonsense as he defended himself from getting sprayed in the eyes by her hairspray.

Izzy had taken advantage of the chaos to throw a bowl of paste at Duncan, who was now swearing profusely and struggling to pry the bowl off him while Izzy pelted him with peas and corn.

Chris chose that moment to enter the hall, "Alright campers," he started, but stopped when he saw the chaos that was unfolding in front of him. Noah, Gwen, Zoey and Scott were all having a shouting match with each other, though it was mostly Gwen and Scott doing the yelling while Noah threw insults and Zoey glared at Scott, with Sammy and Bridgette trying to play peacemakers. Anne Maria was still attacking Rodney and Izzy was continuing to harass Duncan. Jo, Lightning, Brick and Sky were having the argument equivalent of 5-year olds, and Beardo was panicking and making siren noises, just adding to all the chaos. The only ones not involved were the alarmed looking survivalist couple and Owen, who was now on plate number seven.

"Whoa," Chris grinned, turning to the camera, "I _knew_ we picked the right cast for this season!" He pulled out an airhorn and let it loose, causing all the campers to shut up and cover the ears. After a good ten seconds of ear-piercing hell, the host let up and lowered the horn. "Alrighty then, are you campers ready to listen, or do you wanna go back to screaming at each other?"

"Ooh, ooh! Let's go back too screaming at each other!" Izzy hooted before rounding on Owen, "YAAH!"

"AAH!" Owen replied, terrified. He let out a scared burp that wafted on to Anne Maria.

"YEEEACHHH!" She shrieked, searching her pockets for some perfume to wash the stink away.

"Enough already!" Chris shouted, though he was still grinning at all the drama. "It's time for your first challenge!"

All the contestants stopped their glaring and bickering to turn to the host.

The competition was about to begin, and they were ready.

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Sky, Rodney, Izzy, Noah.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen, Anne Maria, Brick.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Jo, Scott, Sammy, Beardo.**

**Eliminated: N/A.**

* * *

**Alright, there's part one of the episode! I think most of the episodes will just take up one chapter, though there might be a few that are split into two. I don't wanna drop too many 15k+ chapters, better to split 'em up I think.**

**\- What do you think of the cast? Anyone you wish was competing instead? Why?**

**\- Who do you think has 'early boot' written all over them?**

**\- Is anyone going to get totally drunk and embarrass themselves? (Hopefully!)**

**I'll catch you guys on the next update. Ciao!**


	2. Back to Basics: Part Two!

**Okay! Time for the second part of the challenge! **

**So, THERE IS A POLL FOR THIS STORY ON MY PROFILE! There is going to be aftermaths in this show, after each five eliminated contestants! Now, since there would be like 40 people in the peanut gallery, that's just too many! So the poll is: ****Which 10 Total Drama members do you want to see on the Peanut Gallery**_**?**_**The poll will be active until the first aftermath is going to be written. If there is a tie for 10th, I'll just include all of those in the tie. I don't mind having 12-15 people in the Peanut Gallery, but let's go for 10. So vote away to see who you want on the Gallery, and I'll make it work! Just know that Tyler, Lindsay, Alejandro and Heather won't be options because they're going to be hosts/prominent Aftermath characters.**

**Now, with that being said, let's get on to the first challenge…and elimination!**

* * *

The camera opened to the last scene of the previous episode. All eighteen campers looked expectantly at Chris.

"I knew that would get your attention," the host said smugly. "Now, let me explain your first challenge." He walked further into the Mess Hall and stood in front of the three tables. "Hidden on the island are twenty purple, gold, and orange Chris Heads!" He held up a 8x12 picture that showed the three heads sitting on a shelf. "Each team is responsible for collecting as many of these heads as you can before sundown!"

"Ooh, a scavenger hunt! Yay!" Izzy cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.

"Easy-peasy," Shawn said confidently, "I'm a pro at finding hidden stuff."

A TV magically dropped down from the ceiling and went from static to picture. It showed a top down view of the island. "Alright, so here's how it works, you _cannot_ tamper with any of the opponent's heads. If you locate an enemy team's head, you must leave it where it is, or face a penalty!"

"Aww, that's not fun," Scott whined.

"Tough tooties," Chris told him, "now, you _must_ split into teams of two within your team to search for the heads, is everyone clear?"

Everyone nodded or made noises of agreement.

"Ok great," Chris said, before letting out a little chuckle, "oh, did I forget to mention that _Chef_ will be hunting you guys down with a paintball gun?"

"Oh come on," Bridgette cried, "seriously?"

"You guys didn't think I would make it _that_ easy on you, do you?" Chris asked her. Behind him, Chef came out from the kitchen dressed in full military garb and hoisting a dangerous looking paintball gun over his shoulder.

"Don't we get any way to defend ourselves?" Brick asked nervously, eyeing the massive paintball gun with trepidation.

"Yes you do, actually!" Chris said, and the campers were show looking relieved. He held up a slingshot. "Each camper gets a slingshot and five paintballs. If Chef ambushes you, you can make him go away by hitting him with a paintball. Careful though, the paintballs don't burst easily when shot out of a slingshot. If you manage to splatter Chef, he'll go hunt for someone else, and you have a solid 10-15 minutes of safe searching ahead of you before he can circle back and try to take you out again."

The campers all looked worried as slingshots were tossed to them from off-screen.

"This brings back some bad memories," Duncan said nervously, remembering his time in Africa during World Tour.

"Aw don't worry Duncan," Owen said, walking up to him, "Al and Heather aren't here to gang up on you, hurt you, betray you, vote you out, crush your dreams, and send you hurtling out of the Jumbo Jet away from the million bucks."

Duncan rolled his eyes, "Gee, thanks."

Owen shot him a thumbs up, but quickly turned his attention to Sky when she raised her hand and asked, "so, Chris, what happens if we get shot?"

"You're out of the challenge," Chris told her, "and you forfeit all Chris heads in your possession."

"Wow, that's a harsh penalty," Rodney said nervously.

"You'd think so," Chris agreed, "but the Mess Hall here is home base." He pointed to the far end of the hall, where there were three large, wicker baskets. Each basket was the color of one of the team's logos. "You can deposit any Chris head you find in these baskets, and they will be automatically safe."

"Can we shoot each other?"Jo asked.

"I'm glad you asked that, Jo! Yes, you _can_ hit each other with paintballs, though I can't say it's recommended with your limited ammo and Chef hunting you down…if you do manage to tag someone from an opposing team, they are still _in the game_, but they _forfeit all the heads they have on their possession_."

Duncan grinned, "now that is interesting."

"I know!" Chris agreed, "now, split yourselves up into groups of two. You'll get an hour to look for heads uninterrupted before Chef comes hunting for you. The team in last place will have to boot someone."

* * *

**(Confessional: Anne Maria.) **

Anne Maria slaps her hands together with a confident smile. "Alright, everyone on my team is a weirdo, so they obviously need someone awesome like me to band them together and lead. I'm telling y'all, this is gonna be my season. I'll bring this team to victory!"

**(End Confessional: Anne Maria.)**

* * *

"Alright," Jasmine said as Team Oddball huddled, "Shawn and I will take the north side, and—"

"Ey, wait a minute," Anne Maria cut in, "why do you two go together?"

Shawn and Jasmine exchanged a look, "uh…why wouldn't we?" Shawn asked her, "We're probably the two best suited to this challenge, no offense…"

"Exactly!" Anne Maria said, "you two will be plenty good on your own, so you should each take someone else."

Jasmine held her chin thoughtfully, "that's…actually not a bad idea, Anne Maria. Ok, we can do that."

"Great!" Anne Maria smiled, "Shawn, you take Tubs over there," she pointed to Owen, who smiled and waved, "Jasmine, take Brick, and I'll take Blondie." She looked expectantly at her team, "any problems?"

The others looked at each other, a little surprised by Anne Maria's take-charge attitude. "I don't have any issues," Bridgette shrugged.

"Fine by me," Owen agreed, walking up to Shawn, "let's rock this, dude!"

"Yeah, cool," Shawn shrugged, exchanging a fist bump with the fatty.

"Alright," Anne Maria said, "let's kick this challenge in the butt, yea!"

* * *

"Okay," Jo said haughtily as Team Nuclear huddled up, "I know none of us exactly _get along_…"

"Um, actually, I don't really have any problems with anyone," Sammy said timidly.

Jo shot her a look, "good for you, _Wonder Twin_, now shut up and let me continue, eh?"

Sammy flushed and looked down at the ground, biting her lip.

"Now, as I was saying…the way I see it, all the strong players should take a weakling," Jo said, "so I'll take Mr. Beatbox, Scott, take Sammy," her grin turned slightly crooked as she looked at the two remaining members, "Gwen, Duncan, you guys won't have any _trouble_ working together, would you?"

"Um, actually, I'd rather not," Gwen said bluntly.

"I don't have problems with that," Duncan said at the exact same time.

"Duncan!" Jo continued, her crooked grin growing, "thanks for being a team player! Gwen, you _sure_ you can't do it?"

"Yeah," Scott chimed in, a devious smirk on his face, "it'd be such a _shame_ if your drama with others got in the way of the team. If everyone else can put it aside, can't you?"

Gwen looked like she had swallowed a lemon, but she knew she had been backed into a corner. "Fine." She spat, "whatever. I'll deal."

"Excellent!" Jo clapped her hands, "let's kick some ass, people!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"Ugh! Scott and Jo are such jerks!" Gwen snarls, arms crossed as she leans against the wall of the Confessional, "I couldn't object without painting a target on my back, and they know that. Manipulative little…grrr!"

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Scott.)**

"The way I see it, being on the same team as so many of the people in All-Stars means I've already got a major target on my back," Scott drawls, "so if I can do anything to shift that target, you bet your bottom penny I'm gonna do it. Gwen and Duncan are both strong, tough players, but their past drama will come back to haunt them. Jo looks like she's trying to put that into the spotlight, probably because she knows she's not well liked." He smirks, "not a bad plan, Jo. Not bad at all..."

**(End Confessional: Scott.)**

* * *

"Sha-alright team, how we gonna win this?" Lightning asked excitedly.

"I think I should go with Lightning," Noah said quickly, "his brawn and my brains and our lack of the opposite should make a solid combo."

"Aww, I wanted to go with you, Noah!" Izzy pouted, "y'know, re-unite part of Team E-scope like the good ol' days!"

"And uh, I was kind of hoping to go with Lightning," Sky offered. "Our combined skills should make it pretty impossible for Chef to catch us."

Noah didn't look too stoked about this, but relented, "alright, that's fine...I guess."

"Yay!" Izzy cheered, "Team E-Scope is gonna mess Chef up!"

"Alright, I guess that leaves you and me," Zoey said to Rodney, a little awkward.

"Cool, eh," Rodney told her, not looking at her. "Let's kick some butt!"

"Alright, you guys ready?" Chris asked them, "by the way, to save you guys a little bit of trouble, there are no Chris heads in the Tucke Shoppe, Mess Hall or the Rec Center, so don't bother looking in those places. Any final questions?"

No one had any, so Chris pulled out a stop watch and gave it a click. "Your hour head start begins! Go, go, go!"

All eighteen campers ran out of the Mess Hall, splitting into their groups of two.

* * *

"Alright, so where should we search first?" Noah asked Izzy as the two walked through the woods. "The boathouse? The cliff?"

"Pssh," Izzy made a face and waved her hand dismissively, "we aren't going to be looking for any Chris heads, silly!"

Noah raised an eyebrow at her, "we're not?"

"No! We're hunting Chef!" Izzy grinned manically and grabbed a pinecone. She stretched her slingshot out and plopped the pinecone in, aiming it around at random.

"Heyheyhey, watch it!" Noah winced as the pinecone was momentarily pointed towards him. "Why would we hunt Chef anyways?"

"Because we can protect our team that way!" Izzy told him, "if we stealthily track Chef, we can ambush him if he hunts our team, or help him if he hunts an enemy!"

"Hmm," Noah pondered the idea, ducking under a tree branch as they walked, "that's fine, I guess…but what about the hour we have free?"

"That, my square-headed friend, is when we prepare ourselves," Izzy said, pointy-toothed grin in full show.

Noah looked at the camera and sighed.

* * *

Shawn and Owen were walking through the woods, having yet to find any of their purple Chris heads.

"You and Jasmine were my total faves on Pah-tekky-too Island," Owen said happily as they walked.

"Er, Pahkitew," Shawn corrected, but Owen didn't seem to hear.

"I mean, you guys are total survivalist experts!" The fat boy continued, "y'know, I consider myself something of an expert in nature too!"

"Really?" Shawn asked, surprised and a little skeptical.

"Yeah!" Owen nodded eagerly, "I mean, not to the extent of you guys, but on Total Drama Island I was pretty much considered the best outdoorsman. I can fish, I'm a good naturalist and can talk to animals, oh and I'm a wicked hunter too!"

"Huh, no kiddin'," Shawn said, smiling, "well if you ever want some tips, I'm always down to educate those on how to survive the apocalypse."

Owen pumped his fist, "heck yeah! That would be swe-heet!"

"Alright, we can start lessons later, for now though, we gotta be on guard," Shawn told him, "you never know when the _undead_ are lurking. I'd suggest going through the trees, but uh…" he trailed off, side-eyeing Owen, "I dunno how well you'd fare up there."

"Oh I can climb trees no problem," Owen assured him, "but how are we gonna find Chris heads if we're up in the trees?"

"Huh, good point," Shawn conceded. The scruffy boy looked up at the sun, "if my estimations are correct, we have about fifteen minutes before Chef comes hunting for us."

Owen readied his slingshot, "good luck getting through us!"

Shawn chuckled slightly at this, and the two continued walking.

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.)**

"Owen's a good guy," Shawn said, "I'm not sure if I believe him when he says he's all in tune with nature, though…those kinds of skills take _years_ to cultivate. But hey, if he wants to learn, I'll teach him! Besides, it's always good to have someone slower than you around in case of a zombie attack." He pauses and looks around, "I know it sounds harsh, but it's true!"

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

"So…um, Scott," Sammy said awkwardly as the two walked through the camp, "uh…how's…things?"

Scott rolled his eyes, "things are fine. They'll be better once we find these stupid Chris heads and win the challenge."

"Oh, so we're gonna look for the heads?" Sammy asked, sounding a little relieved, "Good, because I don't really want to throw the challenge. That's probably not how to do it and—"

"I'm not throwing the challenge!" Scott said sharply, pointing a finger in the twins' face, "I didn't do that at all in All-Stars and I _don't_ plan on doing it here!"

Sammy held her hands up, "O-oh…sorry, I didn't mean to offend, I just meant that—"

"Just zip it," Scott told her rudely, "I don't have any interest in chit-chatting with _you_. Let's just find these stupid Chris heads so we don't lose."

Sammy hung her head. "Okay…sorry."

The two continued to walk on in silence.

* * *

_Beep beep_.

"Looks like our hour's up," Brick said, looking at his watch. Currently he and Jasmine were browsing the beaches of the island.

"Alrighty, at least we found one head uninterrupted," Jasmine said, holding up the head for emphasis. She looked around, as if suddenly worried Chef would teleport out of nowhere, "so, what do you think our next move should be?"

Brick tapped his chin as they walked, "it might be a good idea to get this head back to the Mess Hall. The one we found was tough to find, and who knows how many heads people might actually get," he explained, "Might be good to get one in the bank as soon as possible."

"I agree," Jasmine said, "let's head back to the camp!" The two turned around and began to jog back to the camp. "So, what made you get into the army?"

"My entire mother's side of the family has army history," Brick told her as they ran, "I grew up around it, and I want to make my family proud."

"That's cool," Jasmine offered.

"It's alright," Brick shrugged, "the older I get, the less into the military I find myself. I still want to do some military service, though I'll probably drop out after the minimum amount of years to pursue other interests."

"Good on ya, mate. Too many people feel obligated to follow on family traditions," Jasmine said wisely. Hoping to keep up friendly conversation with her new teammate, she asked, "so what're these other interests you have?"

"Fashion, mostly," Brick said unabashedly, "I've always had a dream to design my own clothes. I'm sure you can imagine how that went down in my environment."

Jasmine couldn't hold back a little snort, "I can definitely imagine," she said, slowing down when the Mess Hall came into view, "alright, give me the head and I'll go drop this baby in the basket. Keep an eye out for Chef."

Brick tossed her the head and saluted.

Jasmine peeked her head into the Mess Hall and looked around. Empty. She quickly made her way over to her basket and dropped the head in. She was about to turn around when she heard a small scuffle outside, followed by a quick yelp. She turned her head towards the door, straining to hear anything else, but it was silent.

"Brick?" She called curiously, readying her slingshot and aiming it at the door. A shadow crossed it, and Jasmine tensed. The shadow got closer and closer to the door, when the person suddenly burst through the door. It was Chef, paintball gun at the ready!

_Splat_.

Jasmine's paintball hit him square in the chest before he could get a shot off, and the cook looked down at his pink-stained military vest in surprise. "You're quick, girlie," he said, a little impressed.

Jasmine smirked and tipped her hat back, "why thank you! Now, if you'll excuse me…" she slid around Chef, who let her go, and back out of the Mess Hall. A dazed, paint splattered Brick was outside.

"A fallen soldier," Jasmine joked, though Brick didn't seem to find it very humorous. Leaving the eliminated camper behind, she ran off towards the woods, where she could find solitude in the trees without having to worry about her partner.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine sits criss-cross applesauce in the Confessional. "Don't get me wrong, Brick seems like a decent guy," she says, "but I was kinda relieved when he got eliminated from the challenge. Anyone that can't keep up with me is just slowing me down, which is why I wanted to do this challenge with Shawn." She shrugs her shoulders, "oh well, I do fine enough on my own anyways." An idea suddenly strikes her, and she peers underneath the toilet. She gasps, and lifts a purple Chris head out from underneath. "Sneaky Chris," she smirks, "there's one for the other teams down there too. Hopefully they don't find them…"

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

"So, I gotta ask," Jo said as she and Beardo searched through the outdoor stage where the talent show had been held years prior, "what kinda name is Beardo?"

Beardo poked his head out from under the stage, dust and cobwebs stuck in his large afro. "It's not my real name," he explained, climbing back up on top of the stage and beginning to pick the cobwebs out of his hair, "it's just my DJ name."

"DJ, huh?" Jo lifted up one of the benches with only one arm and grinned when she saw an orange Chris head, "yes! Here, catch." She tossed the head to Beardo, who fumbled it a bit but ultimately caught it. "What, like you play music at parties and stuff?"

"Pretty much," Beardo said, examining the head and then stuffing it in his back pocket, "it lets me be active in social stuff without needing to talk to people."

"That's actually pretty smart," Jo told him, hopping up onto the rigging above the auditorium and beginning to search.

Beardo shrugged, "it's alright, I guess. Never really taught me to face my fears, which was a problem in my first season."

"That's all in the past," Jo told him, "just gotta move forwards. My past experiences on this show haven't been great either, but here I am." She plucked another orange head from the lighting and tossed it down to Beardo. "Catch!"

Beardo was a little too slow and caught the head with his own head, and he hit the dust with a groan.

"Whoops, my bad," Jo smirked, looking down towards the ground, "now how the hell do I get down from here?" She was suddenly splatted in the back by paint, and cried out in pain. "Ow! Beardo, run!"

Beardo gasped and got to his feet, running off screen. Unfortunately, he left behind the head that had been thrown at him by Jo, though he still had the other tucked in his pocket. "No, you forgot the head!" Jo called after him, but it was too late.

Chef appeared from the bushes and walked over to the fallen head. "This baby is mine," he grinned, picking up the orange head and crushing it into wood chips with his massive paw.

"Dammit!" Jo complained, still stuck up in the rafters.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

"Beardo seems like he'd be a pretty good alliance member," Jo tells the camera, a thoughtful expression on her face, "he's mellow and doesn't seem to be a _complete_ idiot, though he is a little clumsy." She sighs, "I can't believe he forgot one of the heads. Hopefully he'll run straight back to the Mess Hall and deposit the head."

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

"Alrighty, Blondie, I gotta proposition for you," Anne Maria said, her tone very business-like as she say on a tree stump and crossed her legs.

Bridgette was sat on a log next to her, looking a little awkward. "Uh, okay…? But, shouldn't we be looking for the Chris heads or something?"

"Pfffft," Anne Maria waved a dismissive hand, "this is more important than that, trust me." She crossed her arms and looked at the surfer, "we need to form an alliance."

Bridgette looked a little startled, "an alliance? Isn't it a little early for that?"

"No way," Anne Maria said, "last season I didn't do none of the strategy stuff, and I still did ok! If I hadn't quit, who knows how far I coulda gone! Now, if I get all strategical early on, I can dominate the game! And I want you with me all the way."

Bridgette looked a little uncomfortable, "Um, I guess that would be okay," she told her, "I mean, we'd have to—"

_Snap_.

Bridgette and Anne Maria whipped around, the latter drawing up her slingshot.

"Too late, girlies!" Chef cackled, opening fire on the two sitting girls. They yelped and squealed, and Bridgette hit the ground, splattered.

Anne Maria quickly did a half turn, and the paintballs ricocheted off her pouffe and back at Chef. "Great gumdrops!" Was all the cook could get out before he was annihilated by his own ammo. He hit the ground with a yelp, and Anne Maria hit him with a paintball of her own just to make sure.

"That hair…ain't natural," Chef wheezed as Anne Maria walked by his prone form.

"Sorry doll, but I gotta challenge to win," Anne Maria smirked, going back over to Bridgette. "Listen, Blondie, I gotta run, but good talk. You and me will own this game!"

"Huh…wha?" A dazed Bridgette asked, but it was too late. Anne Maria had already run off.

* * *

Duncan and Gwen were walking through the woods. Things had been completely silent for the past hour, as Duncan was working up the nerve to talk to his ex-girlfriend that wanted nothing to do with him. Luckily for them, they had been successful in finding two Chris heads.

The camera cut to front facing of Gwen as she walked, a familiar expression of disgruntlement etched into her face. Duncan popped his head out from behind her as they continued walking, a slightly hopeful look on his face.

"So, uh…you think we should head back to camp and put these heads back?" The punk offered, holding up the two orange heads.

"Whatever, _you_ can go back if you want to." Gwen snapped, "actually, that sounds like a great idea! I'll keep searching, and you can go _away_."

Duncan winced, "Gwen, look…"

The goth whipped around and turned to face Duncan, hands on her hips, "no, _you_ look here Duncan, I…" She was shushed by Duncan, who was now annoyed.

"No, I go first," Duncan said sternly, "I was the idiot back in All-Stars. I was an immature kid that was pissed Courtney was only mad at you for the whole World Tour fiasco. I wanted the attention too."

"Oh, so is that all I was?" Gwen scoffed, her glare intensifying, "just a way to get attention from your precious Courtney?"

"No way," Duncan said quickly, "like I said, I was an idiot. But…"

"But what?" Gwen sneered, "did you think you'd come back here, apologize and all would be forgiven? That we'd hook back up?!"

"Well, yeah?" Duncan said uncertainly, but when Gwen snarled at him he quickly backtracked. He had never seen the goth so angry, especially towards him. "Look, ok, not like that exactly. These past few years have let me do some thinking and…well if you'd give me another chance, I want to show you what you mean to me…if you want…or whatever," the punk was definitely awkward, stuck between trying to look cool and pleading. His arms were crossed and he wasn't really looking at the goth, and the toes of one of his feet were digging into the dirt.

"Not. Interested." Gwen spat. The hurt look on Duncan's face was satisfying for a second, but Gwen had never been a sadistic person. She sighed, "okay, that was a little more venomous than I intended. Look, Duncan, that stuff is in the past, whatever. But I'm not going to kid you around. I'm not interested…like, at all."

"But if you'd just give me—" Duncan started to plead, but went quiet when Gwen raised a hand.

"And, I have a boyfriend back home. I'm not interested either way, but I hope you'll at least respect that."

Duncan looked extremely disappointed, but eventually nodded his head. "Of course I'll respect what you want, Gwen." When Gwen's gaze softened a bit, he looked around, as if to make sure no one was watching, "but, y'know, you think we still got a shot at being friends? I missed talking horror movies with your pasty butt."

Gwen rolled her eyes, but there was less menace in her face. "Don't push it. I'm not exactly a 'forgive and forget' kinda person," she said with air-quotes. "Just give me some time to mellow out."

Duncan nodded, "okay. I guess I'll go drop these heads off."

"We should probably go together," Gwen said, walking past the punk towards the camp, "Chris said we had to be in groups of two."

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

"A boyfriend? A boyfriend!" Duncan slaps his forehead, "of _course_ she has a boyfriend. Why wouldn't she, just look at her!" He groans in disappointment, "I really _blew_ it." He is silent for a second as he looks down at the ground, before shaking his head and puffing out his chest. "But hey, I gotta move past it. Time to put my focus on winning this stupid game…_again_." He keeps the pose up for another couple of seconds before deflating back into sadness again.

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"Ugh, that was about as fun as pulling teeth," Gwen grumbles, "but hopefully he got the message. If he has grown out of being that stupid kid he was years ago, maybe he'll just know to leave me alone. It seems like that lie about a boyfriend fooled him."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

Sky and Lightning were currently running from Chef. Sky had a gold Chris head in each hand, and Lightning was juggling three of the Chris heads.

"To the Mess Hall!" Sky bellowed, dodging a paintball volley from Chef.

"He's sha-gonna hit us eventually," Lightning told her, "we gotta do something! We got too many heads to sha-sacrifice."

"How many heads can you juggle?" Sky asked. The two continued to run as Chef loaded more ammo into his paintball gun.

"Like, probably a billion," Lightning told her, "or a billion billion!"

"How about five?" Sky asked, tossing the two heads to Lightning.

Lightning caught the two mid-juggle and continued to run, unfazed.

Sky twisted and loaded her slingshot at the same time, turning back to face the cook. She let fly.

"Whoa!" Chef dodged the paintball and hoisted his gun, "nice try, girlie!"

"I'm not done yet!" Sky told him.

"Do something quick!" Lightning pleaded.

Sky reloaded as Chef started to unload. Sky dodged the paintballs and fired again. Since Chef was too busy shooting, he couldn't dodge and got splattered. He got hit in the nose and tripped, falling into a heap on the ground.

"She nice one!" Lightning complimented, tossing the two heads back to Sky, who caught them.

Sky blushed, "that was nothing," she told him. "Hey, look, there's the Mess Hall!"

Sure enough, the rickety old building came into view. "Five she-heads in the bag!"

"Not so fast! Spawn camp!" Came another voice from off-screen.

Lightning and Sky turned and gasped. Izzy and Noah were on the roof of the Mess Hall, slingshots poised and ready to strike.

"Don't sha-shoot!" Lightning yelled, "we're on the same team!"

Izzy lowered her slingshot and frowned. "Darnit!"

"Hold on, we'll be right out," Sky called up to them. They ran into the hall and dumped their five heads into the basket.

"Nice work, girl," Lightning complimented, high-fiving Sky. The two walked out to see Noah and Izzy still on the roof. "What the sha-heck are you guys doing?"

"We're waiting until an enemy team comes with heads, and then we'll blast them!" Izzy said excitedly.

"It was her idea," Noah added.

"That's a pretty good strategy," Sky said, "keep it up! We're gonna go back and look for more heads."

"And we shall lie in wait," Izzy cackled, "ready to strike!"

"Yeah," Noah rolled his eyes, "what she said."

* * *

**(Confessional: Sky.)**

"Did you see that?" Sky gushes, "Lightning and I made a totally awesome team! A couple more challenges together and he'll totally notice how badass I am!" She pauses, "Uh, not that I really care _that_ much," she chuckles nervously.

**(End Confessional: Sky.)**

* * *

"Wow, you're really good at this, Zoey!"

Rodney had his arms full of golden Chris heads, and Zoey leapt down from a tree, another one in hand.

"Thanks," Zoey smiled, "now, let's get back to the Mess Hall, stat!"

"You got it," Rodney affirmed, turning around, "it's this way!"

The two began to walk. "So," Zoey asked, "why do you think you struggle so much when talking to girls?"

"Oh, that I know," Rodney said easily, eyes fixated firmly in front of him, "My dad left my Mom when I was six, and then it was just me, my dad, and my five little brothers on the farm. We were all homeschooled so I barely had any interaction with girls. Internet was spotty out in the middle of nowhere too so…"

"Wow, that sounds tough," Zoey said sympathetically.

"It's been a struggle," Rodney admitted, "but I'm working through it. Pahkitew Island was kinda my first experience with women of any kind that wasn't my grandparents, so it was a real culture shock."

"I kinda know what you mean," Zoey told him, "I came from a small town so I didn't have a ton of experience with people either."

"Worked out better for you, though," Rodney countered, "you've made the Final Three in both of your seasons!"

Zoey chuckled, "some of that was luck."

The two came in sight of the Mess Hall, but were startled to hear a commotion going on.

"What the heck is she doing?!" Came a voice from off-screen.

"I dunno, but I'm down! Use me as cover!" Yelled another.

The two looked to see Izzy and Noah on the roof of the Mess Hall, slingshots aimed at Owen and Shawn. Owen had been hit a couple times but had no Chris heads, and Shawn was behind him, using the big lug as cover. Purple Chris heads bulged in his pockets.

"Take the heads to the Hall while Izzy and Noah are distracting them," Zoey whispered to Rodney, "I'll take out Shawn."

Rodney nodded and ran out into the open. Shawn and Owen were too distracted to deal with the farm boy, and he was able to run into the Hall and deposit his heads.

Meanwhile, Zoey leapt out into the clearing and aimed at Shawn.

"Behind you!" Owen barked, uncharacteristically stern as he shielded Shawn from Noah and Izzy.

Shawn whipped around and somersaulted over the paintball Zoey had shot. Quick as a flash, he raised his own slingshot and fired at the cherry-head.

"Whoa!" Zoey athletically leapt to the left and tucked her chin, rolling into a crouching position and loading her slingshot at the same time. She fired again, but Shawn dodged this one too.

"Owen, run for the Hall!" Shawn said, panicked, "They have us surrounded!"

Owen ran towards the Mess Hall, Shawn using him as cover.

"Fire!" Izzy cried, firing a paintball at the Oddball duo. It broke harmlessly on Owen's chest.

"Uh, I'm out of ammo," Noah told her.

"I guess it's all up to me," Izzy said through grit teeth. Suddenly sporting some grizzly scars and singed hair, she took her last paintball and loaded it. "With this last bullet…er, paintball, I shall win the war! Prepare to suffer, and taste my wrath!" She stood up to her full height and zoned in on Shawn's head.

"Nice monologue," came a gruff voice from behind the two, "but it was a little long."

"Curses!" Izzy spat, spinning around. Since the two were on an angled roof, her foot caught on a shingle and she slipped.

A smirking Chef Hatchet stood behind them. "Next time you monologue, be quicker or quieter, it was easy to sneak up on you punks."

Noah looked down at his empty slingshot, "do you have to shoot me? Can't I just be out?"

"I'm afraid not, scrawny boy," Chef said, splatting the bookworm in the leg. Noah winced, and Izzy let out a yelp as she was shot in the shoulder.

"Alright, we made it!" Shawn cheered, entering the Mess Hall. "Nice work, Owen!"

Owen, covered in paint and bruises, gave the zombie nut a thumbs up. "No problem dude, now deposit those heads!"

Shawn deposited the four heads he got into the basket.

Rodney was catching his breath in the Mess Hall too, having deposited his heads. "Hey guys," the farm boy greeted.

Shawn waved, but Owen seemed to be distracted.

"The farm boy is lucky he is in sacred ground," Owen narrated in his 'naturalist' voice. His eyes were narrowed and shifty, and he walked towards the door with a careful gait "because the alpha survivalists would surely prey upon him given the opportunity."

Rodney gave Owen a weird look. "Ok…"

"C'mon man, sundown is in approximately 45 minutes," Shawn told him, "we need to get more heads!"

"Roger! Let's move!" The two ran out the door, but were immediately bombarded by paint the moment they set foot outside.

Chef blew smoke out the barrel of his gun, "you two are out!"

"No fair!" Shawn protested, "that's spawn camping!"

"There _is_ a back exit," Chef reminded him.

Shawn and Owen stared at each other, then simultaneously face-palmed. Zoey walked up to the two, a paint splat on her chest. "Got you guys too, huh?"

"Yup," Owen said, "oh well, hopefully the rest of our team can pull it off!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.)**

"Huh, Owen and I worked pretty well together," Shawn said, a little surprised, "maybe the guy does have some skills. Zoey, on the other hand, she's a formidable opponent! Might not be a bad idea to get her in an alliance if we make the merge."

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

Beardo had been watching all the chaos near the Mess Hall from a nearby bush, and was waiting for the coast to be clear before he deposited the Chris head he had. Unfortunately, Chef seemed to be heading towards the boy, so Beardo was starting to panic.

"Gotta do something," he whispered to himself, wracking his brains for any solution. Something came to him, and he waited for the cook to get super close to him. Preparing himself, he threw his voice further behind him, imitating the sound of a twig snapping. Chef perked up and ran further into the woods past where the boy was hiding. After waiting a few seconds to make sure it was clear, Beardo crept out of the woods and head towards the Mess Hall.

"Ooh, you're lucky I'm out of the challenge, Beardo!" Izzy called playfully from the roof as he entered. Beardo smiled at her and walked into the hall, depositing his head. An idea struck him, thanks to Izzy, and he left the Hall and clambered up onto the roof.

"And now, we wait," Beardo said to himself.

"Boo!" Izzy screamed from behind him.

"AAH!"

* * *

"The sun is going down," Sammy said to Scott. Currently the farmer had his head buried in a beaver dam and was searching around for some Chris heads. The two had been fairly successful and had four Chris heads to show for it, "we should get moving."

"I know," Came Scott's annoyed voice, "there's one here though, just give me a second!" After a few more seconds of rummaging, the dirt farmer finally freed himself and the Chris head.

The two ran back to the Mess Hall.

"Huh," Scott noticed the tip of Beardo's fro peaking out from the roof. "Guess Soundboard has a strat. Let's see if it works."

The two entered the Mess Hall with no further issues and deposited their heads.

* * *

Jasmine was running, and she was running hard. Six Chris heads were in her possession, but the sun was almost down. The sky bled red and purple as the sun crept towards the horizon.

She was running out of time.

"C'mon, you can make this," Jasmine panted, "just a little further!"

A figure blitzed out of the brush and crashed into Jasmine, and the two hit the dirt with a grunt. Chris heads went everywhere.

"Sha-dang! Watch where you're going, Tall Girl!" Lightning rubbed his head in annoyance.

Jasmine reacted quickly, drawing her slingshot up, but hesitated when she heard a branch snap behind her. She did a 180 and fired her paintball into Sky's chest. The short girl hit the dirt, clutching her breast in pain, and Jasmine turned back to the jock, who was now reaching for his own slingshot.

"Not so fast!" The Australian cried, grabbing Lightning's wrist and struggling to keep his hand from grabbing a paintball.

Lightning got out of the grip like it was nothing, startling Jasmine. However, instead of grabbing a paintball, he shoulder rammed her to the ground and began gathering his own heads. "Sorry girl, Lightning's gotta get the sha-hell out of here!" He took off into the darkening forest.

Jasmine gasped and quickly scrambled for her own heads. She followed him.

* * *

Most of the campers plus Chris were in the Mess Hall, which was cozily lit. The only ones missing were Jasmine, Beardo, Lightning, Sky and Chef Hatchet.

"Two minutes," Chris said, looking at his watch, "man, they're really cutting it close."

As if on cue, Lightning burst into the Mess Hall, panting. He ran to the basket and dumped all the heads in. "Sha-victory!"

Loud footsteps were heard from behind him, and Jasmine could just be seen out in the near-darkness, running towards the Mess Hall.

_Splat_.

Jasmine's knee exploded into bright pink paint, and she cried out, more in surprise than pain.

A victory tune came from the roof, and Beardo hopped down, slingshot in hand.

"No!" Jasmine gasped, "the roof!" She slapped her forehead, "I was too busy worrying about the time!"

"Speaking of time," Chris interjected, "it's up!"

At that moment Chef came in, holding Sky by the back of her shirt.

"And it looks like everyone's here! Sweet, it's time to see the results of the challenge." Chris adressed the room as Jasmine walked over to Shawn, disappointed. He put a comforting hand on her back.

The host walked up to the first of the baskets: the orange one belonging to Team Nuclear. He did a quick count. "Twelve out of twenty heads. Not bad, you guys, not bad. But will it be enough?"

The six members of Team Nuclear exchanged nervous glances.

Chris walked next to the Alpha basket, "wow! A whopping 17 out of 20 heads. Nice job guys! You definitely won't be sending someone home tonight!"

The members of Team Alpha cheered. Izzy grabbed Noah in a goofy headlock and Sky tried to high-five Lightning, but the jock was too busy kissing his biceps.

"And now we get to Team Oddball," Chris said. Notably, most of the team had paint on them. "Let's see what you guys came up with…" he began to count. "Okay, you guys finished with…

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Ten heads! Not enough to be safe, so you guys lose!"

The six members of Team Oddball groaned collectively.

"I totally blew it," Jasmine sighed.

"Don't worry, babe," Shawn said, "we all could've done better."

"Ain't that the truth," Brick agreed.

"You guys will be voting someone out," Chris told them.

"After dinner, right?" Owen asked, accompanied by a stomach rumble.

"Yup," Chris continued, "chowtime is now, and the voting ceremony in half an hour. Eat up!"

Chef walked back into the kitchen and came out with a trolley cart of burgers and dogs. The quality was noticeably not great, but at least it wasn't white paste.

"Burgers," Owen drooled, "wow…"

"Ew," Anne Maria said, quickly moving out of the way to make sure the drool didn't get on her shoes. She turned to look at Bridgette, and as everyone went to get some grub, she grabbed the blonde and dragged her outside into the night.

"Hey, what's going on?" Bridgette asked, a little bewildered as she squinted in the now-darkness of outside.

"We need to discuss who we're voting for," Anne Maria told her, "it's gonna be Tubby. He's gross and smelly. He's too Odd even for this team!"

"Owen? I don't know," Bridgette said uncertainly, "I think—"

"Look girl, I like ya, but you're in my alliance." Anne Maria told her, "_Mine_. That means I'm leadin' this whole operation. Now, let's eat up. I gotta talk to Brick, but that should be enough."

Before Bridgette could say another word, Anne Maria walked back into the Mess Hall.

* * *

"Nice job winning today, guys," Noah told his team as they ate. "Not gonna lie, I was a little worried our strategy of not looking for heads would hinder us, but I should've known that the skills of the rest of you guys would be enough."

Zoey looked a little mollified, "aw, thanks Noah! We all did great!"

"Yeah," Rodney agreed, "without you and Izzy guarding and hindering those at the Mess Hall, who knows what woulda happened?!"

Izzy tore into her third burger, "I loved this challenge, it was so fun!"

"It was surprisingly not-dangerous," Sky agreed. "I could get used to this."

"Seriously," Lightning agreed, causing Sky to smile.

* * *

"Well, we didn't win, but I guess dodging elimination is good enough," Jo said through a mouthful of food. She turned to Duncan and Gwen, "so, how was your time in the woods? I'm surprised both of you came back unharmed."

Gwen hunched her shoulders up defensively, ready for a repeated battering from Scott and Jo.

"That's actually none of your business," Duncan said brusquely, surprising the goth.

"Yeah," Sammy spoke up, "you guys don't really have any right to try and meddle with Gwen and Duncan's past. Just let them be."

Both Duncan and Gwen looked over to the twin, grateful. Sammy responded with a smile.

"Whatever," Jo muttered, "I was just curious…"

"Sure you were," Gwen scoffed.

* * *

"Oh, these burgers are so good," Owen groaned, eating his eighth.

"It's weird getting actual food while on this show," Jasmine noted, on her fourth. "It's a nice change from foraging for scraps."

"You can say that again," Shawn agreed, "I'm down to eat a meal courtesy of Mother Nature, but it's nice to just eat a burger every now and again."

"I can't imagine having to survive in the woods for a whole season," Bridgette shuddered, "that would've been awful!"

"It was no cake walk," Jasmine agreed, "but we pulled through. Sky, us," she gestured to herself and Shawn, "and Sugar were all pretty tough."

Anne Maria gagged. "Ugh, I hated that girl, she was _awful_."

"Yeah, she was a pain," Shawn chuckled, "good thing she's not back this season."

"Aw, she wasn't so bad," Owen said, his tone happy as usual, "she reminded me of the sister I never had…"

Anne Maria finished her dinner and pushed her plate away. "That hit the spot. Ey, Brick, you got a second?"

Brick looked a little startled. "Uh…I guess so?"

"Good. I gotta talk to ya, c'mon," Anne Maria stood up from the table. Brick followed, slightly wary, and followed her outside.

"Huh," Jasmine said, watching the two leave, "I wonder what that's about?"

"Maybe they're making out?" Owen offered, focused on his food. He burst into high-pitched giggles at the thought.

Shawn choked on his food, and Jasmine couldn't help but snort at the absurdity of the idea too.

Bridgette watched all of this, anxious. She bit her lip…

* * *

"Team Oddball, welcome to the first elimination of the season," Chris greeted.

The six Oddballs were seated at the tree stumps at the elimination area. The fire blazed brightly. From left to right sat Brick, Jasmine, Shawn, Owen, Anne Maria, and Bridgette. Chris stood at the infamous oil barrel, and held a tray with only five marshmallows on it.

"How do people leave the island this time, if I even want to know?" Bridgette asked nervously.

"The Boat of Losers, as a nod to Season One," Chris told her. As if on cue, the Boat pulled up, being driven by Chef Hatchet. "If you're out, you gotta walk the Dock, get on the Boat, and get out. And you can't come back…_ever_."

The six campers gulped. They looked at the tray in fear, and wondered which name Chris would call first.

"The first marshmallow of the night goes to…Shawn."

Shawn grinned and caught his marshmallow.

"Also safe are…Brick _and_…Bridgette."

The two campers let out small cheers as they caught the marshmallows.

"Three campers, two marshmallows," Chris narrated.

Jasmine looked very nervous, and she had taken her hat off and was wringing it in her hands. Owen and Anne Maria both seemed like they weren't very worried.

"The penultimate marshmallow goes to…

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Jasmine."

The Aussie and Shawn sighed in relief. Shawn got up and pecked her on the cheek before returning to his seat, and Jasmine blushed.

"Owen, Anne Maria, this is the final marshmallow of the night," Chris told them.

Both of them started to look a little nervous.

* * *

**(Confessional: Anne Maria.)**

"Sorry, Tubs," Anne Maria said, not looking very sorry at all, "but this is _my_ season. You already won one. Nothin' personal."

**(End Confessional: Anne Maria.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen.)**

Owen has his hands clasped to his large cheeks in worry. "Oh no, I can't go home so soon! I still gotta learn survival skills, and hang out in the Rec Center, and eat more food!"

**(End Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

"The final marshmallow goes to…

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Owen!"

"Yes, awesome!" Owen cheered, catching the marshmallow with his mouth.

Anne Maria looked gobsmacked. "Wait, _what_?" She turned to her team, more incredulous than angry. "What the hell happened? Why am _I_ going home?!"

Bridgette stood up, leveling a shockingly stern glare towards the Jersey Girl. "Look, Anne Maria," the surfer said, "I don't mean to offend you, but I _don't_ know you. You can't just come in and practically force me into an alliance, then expect me to vote for one of my friends!" She pointed at Owen, who looked awkward, "and you wouldn't even let me have any say on who went home! Maybe if you had picked someone else, I wouldn't have done what I did!"

Brick looked as confused as Anne Maria. "Uh, what exactly did you do?"

Bridgette looked down, a little ashamed. "When Anne Maria went to talk to you outside," she told the cadet, "I filled the others in on her plan. Guess they'd rather keep Owen around too."

As if to emphasize, Shawn shot Owen a subtle thumbs up, which the Fatboy returned.

Anne Maria slumped over. "Ugh. Whateva, this show sucks anyways!" However, her tone was more disappointed than angry.

Chris chose that moment to walk up to her. "Anne Maria, you've been eliminated from Total Drama Generations. I took the liberty of having the interns pack your things for you," he snapped his fingers, and a tall male intern wheeled two large suitcases over to them. "You gotta Walk the Dock, Snooki."

"Fine, get me outta this dump," The Jersey girl spat, grabbing her luggage. Without turning back to her team, most of whom were looking a little guilty, she walked down the Dock and onto the Boat. Chef started it up, and it sped off.

"The rest of you are safe," Chris told them, "for now…"

The five Oddballs got up from their stumps and headed back towards the trailers.

* * *

All of the dudes minus the ones on Team Oddball were currently relaxing in their trailer beds. It was a fairly peaceful atmosphere, as everyone was minding their own business.

The door opened, and Shawn, Owen and Brick walked in, quiet. The other boys quickly looked up from what they were doing.

"Who got the boot?" Scott asked quickly. "Was it Stevette Irwin?"

Shawn glared at the farmer. "No, it was Anne Maria."

Noah couldn't help but let out a relieved noise. "Well, can't say I'll miss her."

Shawn climbed into his solo bunk. "Me neither," he admitted.

"Aw, she wasn't all bad," Owen said, clambering into his bunk below Beardo.

"Dude, she tried to get you kicked out," Shawn told him.

Owen tucked the covers up around his chin, "I know, but she was just trying to play the game! I can't blame her for that!"

"Dude, you are way too forgiving," Duncan told him, "if I had known who tried to get me kicked off, they'd have a huge target on their back, and I'd be waiting to punch that target."

From his bunk below Lightning, Brick gulped.

* * *

**(Confessional: Brick.)**

"Maybe I can convince the others that I didn't vote for Owen," Brick says, wringing his hands together nervously, "I just thought it would be an easy vote out, no problem! It's not like it was anything personal! Lying is wrong…but…if I admit to it, I could be next! Owen is friends with both Bridgette and Shawn, and by extension Jasmine too! I'm the odd soldier out!" He sighs, "this could be bad…"

**(End Confessional: Brick.)**

* * *

"Thanks for voting for Anne Maria with us," Bridgette told Jasmine gratefully as the two girls walked towards their trailer.

"No worries," Jasmine told her breezily, "was never a big fan of the Shelia anyways. Probably would've voted for her anyways, honestly."

The two reached the trailer and entered. The other girls quickly took note of Anne Maria's absence, and some couldn't help but comment.

"Nice," Jo grinned. "Tan in a Can, huh? Can't say I blame you!" Gwen nodded in agreement from her bunk.

"Aw, Izzy lost her bunk mate!" Izzy pouted, "I was so looking forwards to teasing her in the mornings!" She grinned at the rest of the girls, "anyone wanna be my new bunkmate?!"

A quick chorus of "No's" rang through the trailer.

* * *

Chris stood by the dying fire, toasting a marshmallow of his own. "And so ends the first day back on Wawanakwa. What challenges do we have in store for our contestants next? Who will be the next to walk the Dock of Shame? Find out all that and more, next time, on Total! Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

Anne Maria sat on the bench, leaning her elbows on her thighs as she stared over the dark water. Disappointment was etched on her face. The wind whipped around, but couldn't ruffle her pouffe. "So," she called to the driving Chef, "you takin' me home or what? I wanna leave this trash reality show behind me."

"Nope," Chef called back, "you're goin' to the Playa."

Anne Maria gasped, quickly getting up and running into the drivers cabin, crowding an annoyed Chef. "You mean the fancy resort that all those guys stayed at in Season One?!"

"Yeah," Chef grumbled, "that one. Now would ya get outta here?! You're cramping me!"

Anne Maria squealed and ran back onto the deck of the boat, ecstatic. "I get to spend a whole season chilling at the five-star resort? No way!" Her disappointment was gone as quick as water was repelled off her hair, and she looked back out towards the horizon, eager this time. In the distance, she could see the lights.

Relaxation was coming.

* * *

**Voting Confessionals:  
**

Anne Maria: I vote for Owen, and I'm coming for the weirdo outdoors couple next!

Brick: Anne Maria said I should vote for Owen. I don't really have anyone better to vote for so...*he shrugs* sorry, Owen.

Bridgette: I can't help but feel a little guilty about this, but I vote for Anne Maria.

Jasmine: I vote for Anne Maria. Bridgette filled me in on her plans and it seems like she's getting a little too crafty for her own good.

Owen: I wasn't really paying attention to what the others were saying during dinner because of the food, but Shawn told me I should vote for Anne Maria. That's fine, her skin tastes yucky.

Shawn: No way I vote for Owen, so Anne Maria's gotta go!

* * *

**Votes:**

_Anne Maria - 4 Votes: (Bridgette, Jasmine, Owen, Shawn)._

_Owen - 2 Votes: (Anne Maria, Brick)._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Sky, Rodney, Izzy, Noah.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen, Brick.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Jo, Scott, Sammy, Beardo.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

_Anne Maria is a character I'm rather fond of, so it was tough to boot her first. But I have such a good, diverse cast, that I just honestly thought she had the least amount to give, unless I made her an obnoxious antagonist, which I didn't want to do. She was also a little screwed with her team, being put on with a power couple and Owen and Shawn bonding so quickly. She was basically a red herring. Hopefully I fooled a couple of you guys into thinking Owen would go home!_

* * *

**\- Are you guys shocked and/or bummed by Anne Maria's elimination?**

**\- Who do you think will be eliminated next?**

**\- Remember to vote on my poll for who you want to be in the Aftermath Peanut Gallery!**

**I'll catch you guys on the next chapter! Hope you all enjoyed!**

**Ciao! **


	3. Super In-Tents Challenge: Part One!

**Time for Chapter 3! Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, your comments keep the inspiration running high! **

**Remember, vote on the poll for who you want in the Peanut Gallery! There may or may not be someone from the Peanut Gallery returning to the competition, so it won't hurt to have your favorites get in! **

**Let's get right to it!**

* * *

"Last time on Total Drama Generations! We met our eighteen competitors!" The eighteen campers doing their cast pose was shown. "Teams were formed," A quick cut of the three logos with the six competitors of each team was shown next, "and they duked it out in the first challenge! Some campers showed their badassery," Shawn and Owen exchanged fire with Noah, Izzy and Zoey, and Jasmine took on Lightning and Sky, "And others showed their craftiness," Beardo made noise to draw chef away, and Scott and Jo were shown smirking at an uncomfortable Duncan and Gwen. "Seems like Duncan struck out with Gwen before he even got up to bat…_bummer, dude._" Duncan looked sad in the Confessional. "Anne Maria tried to get her strategy on, but jumped the gun a little bit when she tried to convince _Bridgette_ to vote off long-term buddy _Owen_." Bridgette was shown trying to talk to Anne Maria, but the bossy girl kept brushing her off. Smash cut to Anne Maria walking down the Dock of Shame, defeated, "which ended up costing Anne Maria everything, as she was our first loser! Who'll be following her orange footprints today? Find out right here, right now, on Total! Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**(Cue Rock and Roll Music)**_

A camera pops out of Lake Wawanakwa. A second appears out of the Tucke Shoppe window, shattering it. In a birds nest a momma bird attempts to puke up worms to her babies, but a third camera comes out instead, startling the baby birds.

_Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine._

The shot cut to an arial view of the Dock of Shame. It quickly zooms through the campground, where Chris and Chef are playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with each other. Chef wins, and Chris pouts. The camera goes up and up the 1,000ft cliff, then crashes into the water.

_You guys are on my mind._

Scott thrashs around under the water, eyes wide and terrified as he looks for sharks. A shadow of a dorsal fin crosses in front of him, and the redneck screams, letting out a cloud of bubbles. The camera goes up to the surface as Scott emerges from the water, his legs pulling a Scooby-Doo as he tries to run on water. He bolts off screen as Jo surfaces, grinning obnoxiously with a fake shark fin strapped on her head. However, a real shark surfaces and taps her on the shoulder. Jo looks startled, but quickly punches the shark in the face. It flies off screen.

_You asked me what I wanted to be…_

The camera follows the shark as it flew towards shore. In the surf, Bridgette chills on her surfboard and the shark smacks into her, sending her flying into the sand. She struggles to pull her head free as Noah, who is on a beach chair reading, gets covered in sand and sighs.

_..and now I think the answer is plain to see,_

Now at the waterfall, Beardo is in the river making siren calls as he floats down the current towards the edge. Getting more panicked the closer he gets, he is saved by Jasmine, who was walking nearby. Jasmine begins to scold him while Beardo looks sad.

_I wanna be… famous!_

Sky is doing some gymnastics on the broken log under the waterfall as Lightning watches on, impressed. When she is finished, he attempts to do the same, but slips and falls off the log. Sky gasps and quickly reaches down, grabbing his wrist just in time. The two share a smile before Lightning's weight becomes too much, and they both tumble off screen.

_I wanna live close to the sun._

An angry Gwen exits the Confessional, having just ranted. She notices Duncan nearby and growls at him, storming off. Duncan looks sad and like he wants to go after her, but ultimately doesn't.

_Go back your bags, cause I've already won._

In the Mess Hall, Anne Maria sprays her hair at the chef's counter as Chef stirs a big pot of something. Lots of hairspray lands in the pot, turning it a sickly orange color. Chef looks alarmed, but quickly tastes the mixture and shrugs. Rodney, also in the Mess Hall, witnesses this and gags, running for the exit.

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way,_

Brick is running by the Mess Hall when Rodney bursts out, and the two crash into each other. Since Rodney is so much bigger, Brick gets launched way up into the air.

_I'll get there one day._

Brick arcs up into the sky, over all the trees. Shawn is at the top of one, relaxing and eating an apple. He looks surprised as Brick flies over him, but quickly goes back to relaxing. On the tree next to him, Owen has his eyes squinted as he becomes 'The Naturalist' and inches towards an unsuspecting chipmunk.

_Cause, I wanna be famous!_

Owen is about to reach the chipmunk when the branch breaks, sending the Fatboy plummeting towards the ground. The camera follows him as he smacks against several different branches before finally slamming into the ground. He coughs out a leaf and groans.

_Na na na na na na na na na na na na, na na na na na na!_

Zoey and Izzy stand on opposite ends of the Dock of Shame, doing a traditional martial arts bow to one another. They then sprint at each other and begin exchanging blows for a few seconds before they stop, tired. Breathing heavily, they grin at each other and high five.

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna famous!_

The camera pans up to the sun. Its sets and the moon rises in its place. The camera pans back down and shows the new Rec Center. It goes inside and all eighteen campers are shown chilling: Rodney, Duncan, Beardo and Scott are crammed on one of the couches, grinning and guffawing. They play a shooter video game while Sammy, Zoey, Gwen and Bridgette cheer them on from a different couch. Noah, resting in a squashy arm chair next to the couches, tries to look disinterested with his book but can't help but smile at the ruckus. Over at the ping pong table, Sky and Lightning are in combat with Shawn and Jasmine in a very scary intense game. At the pool table, Owen smacks the winning ball into a pocket. Brick sighs in defeat and Izzy snaps a pool cue over her knee, annoyed. Her annoyance quickly vanishes though and she hugs Owen. Anne Maria and Jo, who are arguing over VCR tapes, notice and they pause their arguing to roll their eyes.

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous! _

The camera teleports to the bonfire, which is burning merrily. It zooms out to show all eighteen teens plus Chris and Chef huddled around it, whistling out the final notes of the song.

_Whistling notes._

The camera pans out father to show the original _Camp Wawanakwa_ sign.

_**(Theme Song Ends)**_

* * *

The morning sun began to rise over quaint Camp Wawanakwa. Birds chirped merrily and a little chipmunk sunned itself on a tree branch. Suddenly, heavy nose breathing could be heard from below, and the chipmunk was startled from its relaxation. The chipmunk looked down to see a sweating Owen inching up the trunk towards it, wheezing slightly from the effort.

"The Naturalist bids hello to its brethren," Owen narrated, continuing to scoot up the trunk. His eyes were narrowed and a confident smirk adorned his face. He was comfortable and confident, knowing full well what his bonds with nature's creatures were. "The Naturalist continues to climb closer to the nice chipmunk. The chipmunk is not worried, since it knows the Naturalist only desires its company, not its stored nuts or," he broke off to give a light giggle, "heh, _nuts_." His tone briefly lost the Naturalist affliction, "man, that's hilarious."

The chipmunk, previously entranced by Owen's smooth tone, was startled back to it's senses by Owen's giggle. It glared down at the boy, who was above five feet below him.

Owen noticed the glare, but didn't seem deterred. "Aw, don't worry little buddy, I just wanna be friends!" He told it. Inch by inch, he scooted closer.

The chipmunk watched him struggle for a few more moments, still glaring, before it pulled out an acorn from behind it's furry back.

Owen noticed the acorn and smiled, "aw, you don't have to share your food with me little guy, breakfast will be soon!" His stomach growled, "actually, now that you mention it, acorns are rather delicious…"

The chipmunk reeled back it's fluffy arm and hurled the acorn at Owen. It nailed him right on the nose. "Ow!" he squawked, "hey, that's not nice!"

The chipmunk hoisted another nut, and Owen gulped.

"The Naturalist understands the chipmunk's innate reaction to protect itself," Owen said, beginning to sweat, "but the Naturalist does hope that the nice chipmunk will not continue to pelt his face with his delicious nuts…" The chipmunk momentarily looked pacified by Owen's tone, but it was broken when Owen let out _another_ giggle, "Delicious nuts…on my face…haha, _phrasing_, anyone?! Hahaha!"

The chipmunk growled and flung the acorn at Owen. It bonked him on the nose again and he lost his grip on the tree, plummeting all the way to the ground.

"_AWGH_, I landed on my keys," Owen grunted, body bent in all the wrong places as he lay in a heap on the dirt. Footsteps approached and he looked up to see Noah. "Oh, hey Noah. You're up early."

Noah looked down at the crumpled boy, a little concerned. "Dude, you okay? What were you doing up there?"

"Me? Never better!" Owen said, getting to his feet and twisting his limbs back into their proper places. Each twist was accompanied by a squeal of agony, making Noah wince. However, once Owen was done he looked back to normal. "Say, when's breakfast? I'm hungry."

"I dunno, I was just going to check," Noah replied, and the two began to walk towards the Mess Hall. "I'll ask again, what the heck were you even doing up there?"

"Well, I'm on the same team as Shawn and Jasmine and they're like…so cool," Owen gushed, "so I figure I gotta amp up my Naturalist skills and impress 'em!"

Noah let out a dry chuckle, "seems to be working like a charm so far."

"I'm a little rusty," Owen admitted, "but I'm getting the hang of it!"

"So you guys kicked off Anne Maria last night, huh?" Noah asked, changing the subject, "what happened?"

Owen scratched the back of his head as they approached the Mess Hall. "Well, Anne Maria tried to get Bridgette and Brick to vote me off, but Bridgette felt bad and confessed to us, so we booted Anne Maria in return."

"Huh," Noah looked surprised, "I'm surprised Bridgette backed you up. Happy she did, of course, but surprised." The two entered the Mess Hall. The long building was empty except for Chef, who was frying up eggs in the kitchen.

"Why?" Owen asked as the two walked over to one of the tables and sat down, "Bridgette and I are friends!" He waved to Chef, "Mornin' Chef! Can't wait for breakfast!"

"I'm sure you can't," Chef grumbled, flipping an egg over on his frying pan.

"Yeah, but if you're buddies with Jasmine and Shawn, that means she and Brick are on the outs now that Anne Maria is gone," Noah pointed out, "that's not good for her."

Owen shrugged, "Maybe friendships are more important than strategy to her. Didn't you learn that on the Race, Noah?"

"The Race was different," Noah defended himself, "there was no voting there. This game is a whole other level when it comes to strategy."

"I guess," Owen shrugged, drumming his hands impatiently on the wooden table, "y'know, I could really use some food right now!"

"Shut up!" Chef barked, "It'll be ready when it's ready, Maggot!"

"Why don't you just buy some snacks from the Tuck Shoppe?" Noah asked him. At Owen's sheepish look, the bookworm sighed, "you already spent all your Bux on snacks and ate them last night, didn't you?"

"Maybe," Owen admitted, "but going back to the strategy stuff, I'm just so happy I'm on a great team!" He threw and arm around Noah, "though I wish I could be with my little buddy!"

Noah smiled at him, "Your team is ok. Definitely better than mine."

"Your team is awesome! You've got a bunch of kick-butt players!"

"That's the problem," Noah told him, "I am decidedly _not_ kick-butt, and once we lose who do you think they're going to want to kick off?"

"Yeah, but you're really smart," Owen said confidently, "besides, you've got Izzy to back you up!" His confidence drooped, and he became a little glum, "man…I wish I coulda been on the same team as Izzy…"

Noah noticed his friend's glum look and was a little surprised. "Hey, what ever happened between you and Izzy?"

Owen looked up at him, "we broke up, back in World Tour. Don't you remember? I mean, you were there!"

"I thought _Brainzilla_ broke up with you," Noah corrected, "y'know, basically super-concussed Izzy that probably doesn't even remember it, but is too zany to ever wonder why you and her don't make out anymore? I mean seriously, as if she came up with the formula for time travel, that's just ridiculous." He scowled, "My golden retriever has a better chance of coming up with time travel, I mean she was just a teenager at the time and there's no way that, medically, a concussion could stimulate the brain like that to become an uber-level genius!"

Owen looked a little startled by his friends outburst, "Uh…I dunno really how to respond to that."

Noah sighed, "Sorry, sorry, just a little frustrated." He shook his head to clear it and looked back at his friend, "anyways, if you still have a crush on her, why don't you try and rekindle things?"

Owen tapped his fingers together nervously, "I dunno…my kiwis still have bruises from all the damage she inflicted on them…and I don't think she's even interested in me!"

"You won't know unless you try," Noah said optimistically. Owen seemed to pick up on this strange optimism, and raised a curious eyebrow at him. "What?" Noah said, "you were a good wingman with me and Emma, I figure it's the least I can do to try and return the favor."

Owen grinned happily, "Aw, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Noah!"

"So operation: Crazy Chaser is on?" Noah asked him.

"Yeah!"

The two exchanged a fist bump.

* * *

**(Confessional: Chef.) **

Chef shakes his head. "Man, if _I _was Tubby, I woulda thanked my lucky stars to get out of that relationship alive! Now, he wants to go back into it?" The cook makes a 'pshaw' sound and shakes his head. "I'll never understand these snot-nosed, obnoxious brats."

**(End Confessional: Chef.)**

* * *

Sammy and Gwen were currently in the girls bathroom, brushing their teeth.

"Thanks again for backing me up yesterday against Scott and Jo," Gwen said through a mouthful of toothpaste, "I really appreciate it."

Sammy smiled at her and spat a mouthful of toothpaste into the sink. "No problem!" She told Gwen, tucking the brush back in her mouth and continuing to scrub, she removed it again and spat once more, rinsing her mouth out with water, "what they were doing wasn't cool."

"I'll say," Gwen agreed, "but I'm definitely not surprised. Those two are crafty, and we'll have to watch our backs around them."

"So I take it you want to vote one of them out first if we lose?" Sammy asked, putting her toothbrush back in her toiletry bag. The nice twin looked at herself in the mirror and began to brush her bedhead out.

"Actually, I think I'd like it most if we went for _Duncan_ instead." Gwen admitted, also putting her toothbrush away.

Sammy looked a little surprised. "Is it really that bad between you two?"

"Honestly, no." Gwen told her, "he hasn't done anything yet, but given his track record I can't really trust him and I can't help but feel its just a matter of time. He told me he's fine with being friends but…"

"But you don't believe him?" Sammy asked.

"It's not that I don't believe him, I just dunno if I'm ready to be friends." Gwen shrugged, "I came here to _win_, and Duncan is just a distraction. I'd feel better if we just kicked him off. Should be easy too, since Scott and Jo are so worried about themselves. They'll _jump_ at the chance to vote someone out if its not their butts on the line."

"Wow, you're so strategic!" Sammy gaped, pausing mid-brush to look at the girl.

Gwen smirked, "what can I say? I'm tired of being known for my romance on this show. I came to play hardball." She reached for a hair-tie on her wrist and put her longer hair into a ponytail.

"Oh, and by the way," Sammy added, finally finished brushing out her blonde locks, "that longer hair looks great on you. You totally rock the messy ponytail."

"Aw, thanks," Gwen smiled, looking flattered. She gave her ponytail a little flick, "I find it's easier when it's not falling into my eyes like it did when it was shorter. I feel older with it too." She looked at Sammy's new clothes. "And I may be biased because I hate preppy stuff, but your new outfit is a major step up from the cheerleader bullcrap."

"Tell me about it," Sammy agreed, plucking at her plain blue t-shirt. "I'm _so_ glad I can be here and compete without Amy here to boss me around."

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

"As a long-time shipper of Gwuncan, it kinda sucks to see Gwen so adamant about eliminating Duncan," Sammy sighs, looking a little sad, "but it's nice that she wants to include me in her plans. I've never really had my own friends before except for Jasmine." She puffs out her chest, "so if eliminating Duncan is what she wants, I'll do my best to help her!"

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

Lightning yawned as he woke from his sleep. He looked around the dudes trailer, but the only one in there was Rodney.

"Whassap, dude?" Lightning greeted, getting up from his bed to stretch.

"Mornin'," Rodney told him. The farm boy was currently sat on his bottom bunk, tying the shoelaces of his big farm boots. He stood up, but had to stoop slightly since he was so tall. He didn't want to bump his head on the roof of the trailer.

"Sha-dang, you're even bigger than Lightning," Lightning noted, stretching out his back and looking up at the big farmer. "There ain't a lot of people like that."

"You should see my Pop," Rodney chuckled, "he's another six inches taller than me, eh."

"You must be descended from giants," Lightning said matter-o-factly. "Sha_-cool_."

Just then, Shawn poked his head into the trailer door, looking at the two other boys.

"Hey, Shawn," Rodney greeted.

"Hey," Shawn said quickly, "I'm here from the Mess Hall, it's time for breakfast and Chris wants everyone present so he can announce the challenge."

Lightning quickly threw on his shirt and sneakers, running past Rodney and Shawn and out towards the Mess Hall. "Say no more, Scruffy Boy! Lightning is on the way!"

Rodney and Shawn exchanged a look, then walked after the exuberant athlete. There was a little bit of awkward silence between the two as they walked, but Rodney decided to try some amicable conversation. "So, Shawn, I know we didn't talk much on Pahkitew Island, but how've you been?"

Shawn gave Rodney a side-eye. "Yeah, we were on different teams. The only thing I know about you is how you were _crushing_ on Jasmine." He turned to give Rodney a pointed look and the two stopped walking. Rodney held up his hands in self defense.

"Don't worry, Shawn," he told him quickly, "I'm over her! I don't get those stupid crushes like I used to!"

Shawn didn't look convinced, and merely pointed both his fingers at his own eyes before flicking them towards Rodney. Without a word, he walked on ahead.

Rodney watched him go and let out a large sigh.

* * *

**(Confessional: Rodney.)**

Rodney looks glum, "man, I really blew it with most of the people from my cast last season. Looks like if I wanna try and make any friends I gotta go with people that weren't on Pahkitew Island."

**(End Confessional: Rodney.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.)**

"Maybe I was a little rude," Shawn says, not looking like he cares very much, "but Jasmine is the best thing to ever happen to me, and if anyone is even a teeny tiny itty bitty _schmidgen _of a threat, they have to go down!" He smacks his palm into his fist for emphasis. "It's just too bad Rodney's on the other team, so there's not much I can do about it…"

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

The seventeen campers were all in the Mess Hall, chowing down on a decent breakfast of eggs and slightly burnt toast.

"Man, this food is heaven," Scott groaned, his cheeks bulging as he scarfed down his fifth egg.

"Slow down, new Owen," Duncan smirked, poking half-heartedly at the half eaten food on his plate.

"When you grow up the way I did, you learn to take what you can get when you can get it," Scott shot back, unknowingly spraying Beardo in the face with his full mouth. Speckles and spots of egg sprayed onto the beatboxers face, which looked very unamused. Beardo made a sad trombone noise.

"Whoops, sorry Beardo," Scott said, spraying more onto Beardo. "Whoops, my bad, dude," as he continued to speak, more and more food left his mouth and found its new home on Beardo's increasingly obscured face. "Jeez, that's a lot of food on your face, dude," Scott noted, finally spraying the last of what food was left in his mouth onto the beatboxer.

Gwen looked at the soggy, half-chewed eggy mess that was now Beardo's face and pushed her plate away. "And I've officially _lost_ my appetite."

Duncan, meanwhile, found the whole thing very hilarious.

"Real mature, Duncan," Jo snapped, grabbing a napkin and aggressively wiping Beardo's face with it. Beardo grunted and squealed as Jo mashed the napkin into his face and wiped it around viciously, successfully getting all the food out but scratching up his face in the process.

Beardo checked his hair to see if there was any more food in it, but there wasn't. He gave Jo a thumbs up and happy 'ding-ding'.

Jo turned to the dirt farmer, who had shoveled another grotesque amount of food into his mouth, "and you, Old-MacDonald…" she stuffed the napkin into his mouth, making the boy yelp. "_Say_ it, don't _spray_ it!"

Scott gagged and coughed as the napkin got stuck in his mouth. He futilely reached for the napkin to yank it out, but he was losing strength fast. His face slowly turned blue as his teammates looked on, alarmed.

"Someone do something!" Sammy cried, unsure of what to do herself.

Duncan didn't look particularly worried as he stood up and walked to the other side of the table so he was behind Scott. He dragged Scott's chair out and observed him. After another second, he slapped Scott square in the stomach, and Scott's cheeks bulged even further as he tried to puke. The vomit successfully dislodged the napkin from his throat and eggs, the napkin, and vomit all spewed out in a vicious stream. It flashed across the room, a disgusting projectile, and nailed Brick right in the face.

"My eyes!" The cadet bellowed, jumping to his feet and waving his arms around in panic, "it's in my eyes! Help! Help! I can't see!" He began to run around in circles, but tripped over a chair and hit the floor with a yelp.

Scott's chest heaved as his face slowly returned to a normal color. After he had recovered, he glared at Duncan. "Y'know, you could've just done the Heimlich Maneuver!"

Duncan walked back to his seat and sat down, apathetic. "Yeah, but after you were such a jerk to me and Gwen yesterday, I figured you deserved a little payback."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Over at the Oddball table, Bridgette was looking down at Brick, who was curled up on the floor in the fetal position, still covered in barf. "Should…should we help him?"

"M…Mommy," Brick mumbled, trembling.

Owen ran up to the fallen soldier. "Step aside, I got this!" Owen grunted, lifting the boy up and draping him across his shoulders. "We'll get you cleaned up, Sarge!" The Fatboy declared, face stern and tone confident, "to the Lake!" He sprinted out of the Mess Hall and nearly knocked Chris over, who was on his way in.

"Whoa, Owen!" Chris called after the running fatso, "get back here! We've got a challenge to do!" He turned back to look at the others, and noticed the still panting Scott, the alarmed looking Nuclears, and the puddle of barf near the Oddball table. "Uh…what the heck happened here?"

"It's a long story," Zoey said.

"And you probably don't wanna know," Noah added.

"Fine, whatever," Chris shrugged, "anyways, it's time for your next challenge."

"But Owen and Brick aren't back yet," Jasmine pointed out.

* * *

Owen was on the Dock of Shame, and held Brick by the ankles. "It's okay, Sarge, I'll getcha clean!" He said, dipping Brick's torso into the lake.

"Owen," Brick spluttered between reemergences, "I'm…pplbplpt…fine…aglblblb…now…ablebae…stop…glarfarkal…it…yarguhdunguh…please!"

* * *

"That's not my problem," Chris said sternly, "you'll just have to fill them in on the challenge. Today's challenge is a good ol' fashioned camping trip…with a twist, of course!"

"Ooh, fun!" Izzy clapped her hands, "what _kinda_ twists?!"

Chris held up three maps and tossed one to each Jasmine, Zoey, and Jo. "You each must reach your campsite before sundown. Once there, you will find a list of tasks you must complete. Each task is worth a number of points. Once you reach a certain threshold of points, you may leave and return back here the following morning. If you don't have the required points needed to leave and leave anyways, your team will automatically be disqualified. You also can't return home until sunrise tomorrow. Last team to return here tomorrow has to boot a player."

"Sounds simple enough," Jasmine said skeptically, "what are the twists you were talking about?"

"Those twists will make themselves known once you see your task list at your campsite," Chris said with a malicious chuckle, "Oh ho, ho ho…this is gonna be _awesome_…" He composed himself and looked out at all the campers. "It's currently 10:30am. You leave at noon, in an hour and a half. The starting line is at the elimination area. Be there, or be square!" With his bit said, he left the Mess Hall.

Shawn stood up. "I'll go fill Brick and Owen in on the challenge."

Bridgette stood also. "I think I'll hit up the Tucke Shoppe and see if there's anything I can grab that could help us on the camping trip."

"Good idea," Jasmine said, "I'll go with you. The more Bux we have, the better."

As the Oddballs dispersed, Beardo eyed them and turned to Jo. "Hey," he said quietly, a little shy, "y'think its worth hitting up the Tuck Shoppe too? I bet there's some stuff we can get that'll make it easier for us to do theses tasks at the campsite."

"Good idea," Jo said, "and at the very least we can bring some snacks so we don't starve if we can't find any food in the wild."

"Well I dunno about you guys," Duncan yawned, "but this hike is probably gonna bite. I'm gonna get a few more Z's before the challenge starts. Come wake me up before we have to leave."

* * *

Bridgette and Jasmine were browsing the shelves of the Tucke Shoppe snack aisle.

"Alright," Jasmine looked at the shopping basket draped over her arm, "beef jerky, baked beans, what else do we need?"

"Ooh, let's get marshmallows!" Bridgette said excitedly, heading down the aisle a bit and grabbing a bag of the fluffy white treats.

"Ehh, I dunno if that's really necessary," Jasmine said skeptically, moving past Bridgette to another aisle. She stooped down and grabbed a box of matches and added them to her basket.

"C'mon, it'll be fun to toast marshmallows," Bridgette chided, walking up to the tall girl and depositing the bag into the basket anyways. The door to the Tucke Shoppe opened, and both girls turned to look as Beardo and Jo walked in.

"Alright, Beardo," Jo said in her commanding voice, "go get some food. I'll check to see if they have any tents."

"Uh, there will probably be tents at the campsite," Jasmine pointed out as Beardo jogged over to Bridgette and the food isle.

"Pfft, you're gonna trust _Chris_ to give us a tent? How naive are you?" Jo shot back, browsing the shelves.

"I dunno," Bridgette piped up, "we had a tent when we camped in season one, so I think it's a pretty safe bet."

"Do you?" Jo mocked, causing Bridgette to frown, "well thanks _so_ much for your input, Frenchy McPoleLips!" She continued to look, "argh, doesn't look like there are any tents for sale! What a gip!"

Jasmine walked up to Jo, glaring down at the tough jockette. Jo looked up from the shelf to Jasmine, unimpressed. The Australian stuck a finger in Jo's face. "You better watch your mouth, Jo," she warned, "maybe the people on _your_ season were willing to put up with your bad attitude, but don't think for a second I'll sit here and listen to you insult my teammates."

Jo smacked Jasmine's finger out of her face, "Calling out the fact that Bridgette smooched a pole, four years ago by the way, isn't an insult. It's just a fact. I can't help it if you're all a bunch of _crybabies_. And get your stinking hand outta my face!"

Jasmine growled down at Jo, who growled right back.

"Uh, Jo!" Beardo said quickly, popping up between the two and startling them both, "got the food, let's…" he mimicked a race car taking off, "get outta here, ok?"

"Fine," Jo crossed her arms before glaring at Jasmine, "but don't think this is over, Khaki Girl!"

Jasmine crossed her arms too, and scoffed. "Khaki Girl? Is that the best you can do, Tracksuit?"

"Shut up!" Jo barked, being dragged to the cash register by Beardo.

"No, you shut up!" Jasmine snapped.

"Both of you shut up!" Beardo whined, approaching the cash register where the skinny white intern with the emo hair was waiting for them. He checked out his items and the two left, Beardo still dragging the glaring Jo by the arm.

"Ugh, that girl is just _awful_," Jasmine said to Bridgette, still scowling.

Bridgette just smiled as she and Jasmine approached the register. "I'm glad she's not on our team."

"I wish she was," Jasmine told Bridgette, "Then we could vote her off." The two shared a laugh.

* * *

The seventeen campers were now lined up at the elimination ceremony where Chris was waiting for them.

"Oddballs, Nuclears, good call on stocking up on some food," Chris said, giving the two teams finger guns. Behind the host, there was a path leading into the forest that the teams had to follow.

It was true, both Jasmine and Jo were carrying a rucksack filled with different supplies for their campsite. From Team Alpha, Zoey looked on and sighed disappointedly. "How come we didn't think of that?"

"No worries," Rodney said, his neck cracking from how fast he turned to look at the clouds. Zoey looked at him, startled by the gross noise. "I can fish and set up some traps. It won't be a feast, but we'll be ok."

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Sky smiled, "besides, I'm used to not getting full meals on this show."

"Speak for yourself!" Owen whined from the other team.

"Yes yes, that's all well and good," Chris smirked, "now, as soon as I fire this pistol," He gestured to a shiny grey pistol in his hand, "you guys can head out. Get ready! Three…two…one…GO!" He fired the pistol into the air, and the seventeen campers took off past Chris down the path into the woods.

"Sha-bam!" Lightning yelled, getting ahead of the group quickly. "Eat Lightning's dust!"

The group continued to run for another couple of minutes, before they came across a three-way fork in the trail.

"Looks like this is where we split up," Brick observed, looking over Jasmine's elbow to see the map. "Which way do we go?"

"Looks like ours is the right path," Jasmine observed, eyes squinted as she looked down at the map. Shawn popped up from her other side and looked at the map too.

"Yeah," he said, "right's the way."

The Oddballs walked down the right path: Jasmine in front, Shawn behind her, Bridgette in the middle with Brick behind her and Owen bringing up the rear.

Zoey looked down at her map. "Alright, we're going center."

"Let's do it!" Izzy cheered, racing down the path ahead of her teammates. Zoey looked up from the map, startled.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Zoey called nervously, running after her.

"No one runs ahead of the Lightning!" Lightning screamed, sprinting after Zoey and Izzy and overtaking them quickly.

"Whoa! Wait up, guys!" Sky called, also running after them.

Rodney and Noah exchanged a look before walking after them.

"Yup, we're the left path," Jo said, putting the map in her pocket. "Alright, let's get moving, guys!"

"There's really no rush," Duncan said as Team Nuclear began to head down the left path. "We can't leave until tomorrow morning anyways, and I bet we'll be able to do whatever stupid challenges Chris has planned for us no problem."

"Yeah, because last time we did this, it was no problem," Gwen rolled her eyes from behind Duncan.

Duncan turned his head to look at her, "Actually, last time it was pretty easy for us, except for the part where Bridgette burned down our tent and we had to sleep in the rain. Other than that, it was a piece of cake."

"Didn't you _lose_ that challenge?" Scott asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Only cause those two idiots Katie and Sadie got lost," Duncan replied easily, turning back to face the front. "Anyways Pasty, its not my fault you had Izzy and Owen doing crazy stuff to lure bears to you. This time, though, we've got it."

"Yeah, we'll see about that when one of our challenges is to ride a bear rodeo-style." Gwen replied.

Duncan chuckled but didn't respond.

"What do you think the challenges are gonna be?" Sammy asked as they walked.

"Probably some stupid camp survival stuff," Jo said, still looking down at the map.

"Yeah, easy-peasy," Scott agreed.

Beardo walked up to keep pace with Jo. "So, how much walking until we get to the campsite?"

"Looks like five or six miles. Probably an hour or two of walking," Jo told him, pulling the map back out to double check.

A sad trombone noise was produced by Beardo.

"What, not a fan of hikes?" Jo laughed, eyeing Beardo's chubby body.

Beardo shook his head.

"Why am I not surprised."

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

"Jeeze, there's so much tension on our team," Sammy says nervously, "it makes things really awkward."

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

"Man, I _loved_ when we went camping last time!" Owen cheered as Team Oddball continued to walk down the trail. "It was really the first time I felt accepted by my team."

"Didn't you attract a bear to the campsite?" Bridgette asked, smiling playfully.

"Aw c'mon, my bear mating calls aren't that good," Owen told her, "that was just chance!"

"Well regardless, bears aren't that big of a problem," Jasmine said from the front of the group. "Just climb a tree and bop it on the nose if it starts to go up after you."

Brick looked nervous at this, and he tugged his collar and gulped. "I dunno if punching a bear in the nose is that effective of a solution."

"Worked on a shark," Shawn said, grinning at Jasmine. The two chuckled at the memory as the other three looked on in amazement.

"You punched a shark?!" Bridgette gasped, looking awestruck.

"And it _fled_?" Brick looked a lot more skeptical than Bridgette.

"Didn't you guys watch Pah-tekky-too Island?" Owen asked them, jogging up to Shawn and Jasmine and grabbing them both in a headlock-hug. "These guys are the most badass survival experts ever!"

"My neck is moist," Jasmine said flatly.

"And, uh, it's Pahkitew," Shawn corrected.

Owen retracted his arms quickly and giggled, "whoops, sorry, my pits are kinda sweaty from all the walking…"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine scrubs furiously at the back of her neck with a washcloth. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ewwww!"

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)  
**

"I didn't watch Pahkitew Island," Bridgette admits, "I got through the first couple episodes of All-Stars but stopped after that, and never bothered to go back to watch the next season. I heard they were kinda lame."

There's suddenly a noise from outside, and the door to the Confessional is thrown open. Chris sticks his head in angrily, and Bridgette screams in alarm. "Excuse me?" The host snapped, "I didn't quite catch what you said. Care to say it again?"

Bridgette looks awkwardly at the camera, "Uh..."

"I thought so," Chris says, his tone snotty as he exits the Confessional.

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

"Man, Lightning don't understand why we ain't sprinting for the campsite!" Lightning complained, "we gotta be first, y'all!"

"We can't go until tomorrow morning anyways!" Zoey explained for the fifth time. She was starting to get annoyed with Lightning, as the meathead insisted every ten minutes that they should be running towards their goal.

"Yeah, what she said. Besides, I'm perfectly okay with _not_ running." Noah panted, a little tired just from the hike itself.

"C'mon, Noah, it's not that bad!" Izzy hooted, popping out of a nearby bush. The rest of the team took her in, as she looked rather odd. She was covered head to toe in camo paint and had fake blood smears all over her body.

"Uhh, Izzy, why are you covered in paint?" Sky asked the girl, "and…blood?"

"War is a cruel mistress, Sky," Izzy rasped, getting up in the girls face and slinging an arm around her, "I've seen things you wouldn't believe, and believed things you wouldn't see."

"I believe I want to get to our campsite already," Noah whined.

Lightning turned back to look at the tired bookworm, and stopped walking. "You wanna be carried?" He asked him.

Noah raised an eyebrow, "well I'd have to weigh my laziness versus my pride and see which one is heavier." He paused for half a second, "okay, you can carry me."

Lightning bent down and scooped the bookworm up, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Alright team, can we put a little zip in our step? Sha-_please_?" Lightning asked. Zoey opened her mouth to angrily interrupt, but Lightning saw this and stuck a finger in her face, shushing her. "Lightning _knows_, Red, it ain't a race right _now_." He crossed his arms, "but if we get there early, we can bang out all these challenges we gotta do so when the sun comes up tomorrow, we can head out instantly!"

"Yeah, but if we use all our energy to get there, we'll be too tired to do any of our challenges," Zoey pointed out, irritated.

"I dunno," Sky pointed out, "we're all pretty strong and athletic. I think we'll be fine."

"Yeah, as long as Noah hitches a ride on Lightning we got this!" Rodney said confidently.

"Fine by me," Noah shrugged, "as long as I don't have to run."

"Yay running!" Izzy grinned, sprinting off ahead.

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.)**

"Ugh," Zoey crosses her arms and looks off to the side, annoyed. "Lightning annoys me! Maybe my past experiences with him is clouding my judgement but he just…rubs me the wrong way." She sighs, "I like giving people second chances, I really do, but man it's hard with him."

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

Most of Team Oddball was sweaty and tired, with Brick and Jasmine being the notable exceptions. "Alright, we're almost there!" Jasmine encouraged as they trudged up a steep cliff.

"How are you not exhausted?" Bridgette panted, looking at the unsweaty Brick.

"Ma'am, hikes like these were a God-send in bootcamp," Brick said, marching dutifully up the hill. "We used to have to do all of our hikes with eighty-pound backpacks."

"Eighty pounds?!" Shawn exclaimed, "what the heck for?"

"To simulate guns and ammunition of we were in actual combat," Brick responded, "you got used to it, and the upside is any other hikes without the extra weight feels like I'm walking on air."

"Jeez, maybe I should enlist in bootcamp," Shawn mused, "might be good to be able to carry a bunch of supplies in the apocalypse..."

"Oh man, Jasmine!" Owen called from the back, "Toss me another granola bar!"

"You've already had four," Jasmine said to him, raising an eyebrow, "and we only got twelve. Each of us are supposed to get two."

"But I'm hungry and tired," Owen whined, "and I can score us some fish when we get to camp...as long as theres water."

Jasmine sighed, "fine," and tossed him a bar from the backpack on her back.

"Nice!" Owen shoved the whole thing, wrapper and all, into his mouth. Brick gave him a weird look, and Owen swallowed it one go. He burped, and the wrapper came back up. He caught it and pocketed the saliva-soaked plastic.

"Ew," Brick noted.

"What? I can't litter!" Owen said, "that wouldn't be very Naturalist of me now, would it?"

"He's got a point," Bridgette smiled.

"Alright, we should be closing in any minute," Jasmine told the rest of them.

"Finally!" Owen cheered.

Sure enough, after a couple more minutes of walking they stumbled across the campsite. It was a little clearing that was otherwise surrounded by woods. There wasn't much in the clearing. A large pile of metal poles and canvas that was clearly a disassembled tent was in the center. Next to it was a ring of stones, a signified area for a fire pit. A new addition was a large wooden board posted into the dirt, similar to that of a notice board at a summer camp.

"What the heck is this?" Shawn asked, approaching the notice board while Jasmine and Brick moved over to the tent.

"Probably the task list," Bridgette said, jamming her hands into her hoodie pockets as she walked up to stand next to him.

The two took a look.

_Welcome to your campsite, Oddballs! _

_Your point objective is __**150**__ points. Here are the tasks you can use to gain points._

Set up the tent: [10 points]

Get a fire going [10 points]

Hunt or forage enough food for the whole team [20 points]

Eat a raw fish [15 points]

Get your whole team to sleep outside the tent while it is set up [10 points]

Have your whole team awake before sunrise [20 points]

[Have a gnarly dance competition [15 points]

Fist fight someone on your team (must be consensual fighting) [20 points]

Eat dirt [10 points]

Wipe your butt using leaves [5 points per person]

Find and taunt a bear [70 points]

_Have fun! _

_-Chris_

Shawn and Bridgette exchanged a bewildered look. "Is it just me or do these challenges get a little…strange?" Bridgette asked nervously.

"How do we know when we actually do one of these adequately?" Shawn wondered, "and why does he want us to have a dance competition?!"

As if on cue, a TV burst out from the dirt, spraying soil all over Bridgette and Shawn. As they cleaned themselves off, the TV flickered to life and Chris was shown chilling in the Mess Hall.

"Hey campers," Chris greeted, "you're probably wondering how you know when you've successfully completed a challenge."

"Uh, yeah, we were actually," Shawn smiled.

"Don't bother responding to this, doofus," Chris scolded, "because this is a pre-recorded message!"

Shawn looked embarrassed. "Oh. It is?"

"Yup, it is! Doofus-face," Chris cleared his throat before continuing, "now, you'll know you've completed a task when this TV pops back up and you hear me say 'you've completed a challenge!' That is all." With his part said, the TV retracted back into the ground.

"Well, I guess that answers that," Owen said happily. "Yay camping!"

* * *

"What the heck is this list?" Gwen asked, looking down at the noticeboard with visible confusion.

Jo and Sammy looked up from the tent they were poorly assembling. "Why? What's on it?" Jo barked.

"Dance competition, taunt a bear, sleep outside the tent," Gwen rang off, frowning.

"I take back what I said," Duncan said, walking up to Gwen to look at the noticeboard, "this _is _gonna bite."

Gwen smirked, "wow, the great Duncan admits he was wrong? Color me surprised."

"Someone should take a picture, capture the memory." Duncan joked, bending down to examine the list. "Alright, I guess we should start with the easy stuff, like the tent and the fire."

"We're working on the tent!" Sammy told him, "we should have it up soon."

Duncan pulled out his lighter and flicked it on, "I'll take care of the fire. Someone should help me get some wood, though."

Beardo walked up to the punk and gave him a thumbs up.

Duncan gave him an appraising glance, but eventually shrugged. "Alright, let's get moving then."

* * *

"Wow, this list looks so…fun!" Izzy exclaimed, face mashed against the noticeboard as she read it.

"Move it, Crazy Girl," Lightning scoffed, shoving Izzy out of the way so he could look at the noticeboard. "Lightning needs to read!"

Izzy picked herself out of the dirt and glared at Lightning, "I didn't know you could read," she taunted.

"Lightning can read," he retorted, "he could read the pants off your dumb face!"

"Faces don't wear pants, stupid!" Izzy shot back.

"Well you smell!"

"You smell smellier!"

As they growled at each other, Noah got in-between them. "Easy, guys," he drawled, "let's focus on the tasks at hand instead of getting into a fistfight, okay?"

"Actually," Sky said in alarm, "it looks like fist fighting _is_ one of the challenges!"

Noah and Rodney looked shocked, "wait, what?!" They both said.

Izzy cackled slowly as she turned to face one of her teammates. Shadows erupted around her face as she pointed a scraggily finger at her target. "Oh-ho, Izzy has been looking forward to this! Prepare for a battle for the ages! Honor shall be gained and lost, and Izzy will triumphantly drink the blood of her fallen enemy! It is time…IT IS TIME!" She lowered her finger and smirked, "Zoey-san!"

The shot cut to a nervous looking Zoey, when suddenly a pause symbol appeared, and the camera zoomed out to show a camera screen of Zoey. It zoomed out a little more to show Chris sitting in the surveillance tent, observing all the monitors.

"Ooh, looks like Izzy and Zoey are gonna _fight_!" The host said excitedly, "should be a tough scrap between two of Total Drama's craziest women! What depths will our campers sink to in order to win the challenge? Find out, after the break!"

* * *

**Yup. Another two parter. This chapter is around 8500 words and we aren't even really in the challenge yet, and there's still a bunch I want to do after the challenge as well, so we're splitting it. I don't want to drop a 15,000-20,000 word chapter because that sucks to read in one go, so two parts it is!**

**The good news? New chapter SHOULD be up by Tuesday, so you guys won't have that long of a wait. I've already written a little more of the challenge before stopping to edit this and post it, so y'all should be fine.**

**\- Which team is an early favorite of yours?**

**\- Will Zoey and Izzy actually square up? And who would win?**

**\- Who do you think is next to get booted?**

**\- REMEMBER TO VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE!**

**Please remember to leave a review! Reviewers are the best readers and thats a scientific fact! **

**Ciao!**


	4. Super In-Tents Challenge: Part Two!

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: The title has been changed from Total Drama: Back to Wawanakwa! to Total Drama Generations! Let me know what you think of this new title. I wasn't happy with my original choice and I'm still not sure I'm totally satisfied with this one. Let me know if you guys have any suggestions.**

**Time for part two of the challenge! Not much to say other than ****vote on the poll for this story!**** I will continue to obnoxiously remind you every chapter until the first aftermath! **

**Time to find out what happens. Are you guys excited?! I'm excited! WOOHOO!**

**Ahem.**

* * *

"I don't want to fight you, Izzy," Zoey said anxiously, holding her hands up in a placating gesture.

"Aw c'mon, Izzy saw you on your seasons," Izzy said happily. The zany girl still had her fists raised, and was be-bopping around on the balls of her feet, ducking and swinging her fists in an exaggerated manner, "it'd be a glorious fight! Think of how entertaining it would be to the masses!"

Zoey still didn't look convinced, and was actually rather worried Izzy would just randomly take an actual swing at her. "Okay, sure, it'd be a hoot. I don't want to hurt you, though."

Izzy giggled, her face twisting mischievously, "that's a bold assumption for someone with a flower in their hair.

"Hey!" Zoey brought her hand to her long braid, where the yellow flower lived, "my flower is _cute_!"

"I think you guys should do it," Noah said, looking between the two. "It's part of our task, and you guys don't really have to wail on each other, right? Just spar a little bit."

"Yeah, listen to Noah!" Izzy said excitedly, "he's the smarty! I mean, just look at the size of his forehead!"

"Well…I guess…if it's for the challenge," Zoey said reluctantly, slowly getting into a fighting stance. "If we have to…I mean-"

"No, seriously, look at it," Izzy interrupted, dashing over to Noah and pulling out a ruler to his immense annoyance. She mashed it up against his face, "this baby has to be at _least_ a quarter mile."

"Izzy, knock it off," Noah grumbled, trying to get the zany redhead off him and failing miserably. "It's not _that_ big."

"It's pretty big, dude," Lightning told him, "Sha-gianormous! Sha-Egghead! Sha-

"Hey," Rodney scolded him, "don't be rude! Just because Noah has a freakishly large forehead doesn't mean we can just make fun of it, even if it _is_ super huge and off putting."

"It's not freakishly large!" Noah snapped, "now shut up and watch these two girls fight!" He finally wrested the ruler from Izzy's hands and snapped it in two. "Jeez!"

Sky walked up to the two girls, a much calmer presence than the rest of her teammates. "Guys, I think you should do it too. It'll be a decent jumpstart on the points," she explained to them, "Rodney can go look for food, and the rest of us can get working on the tent and getting a fire started."

Izzy clapped her hands together twice, grinning, "don't gotta convince me, sister! Let's rumble, Zoey!"

"Okay, fine," Zoey agreed, still looking a little hesitant, "I'm not gonna hold back!"

"I'd be mad if you did," Izzy retorted.

The two took up kung-fu stances and sized each other up. After about five seconds, Zoey did the classic "bring it" hand gesture. Izzy cackled and ran at the Indie Chick. The first strike was from Zoey, which was an open palm strike directed right at Izzy's chest. Izzy twisted out of the way and sent a whirling roundhouse kick towards Zoey, bur Zoey caught the kick with one hand and pushed Izzy back.

"Whoa!" Izzy backflipped onto one hand and then returned to her feet to avoid tumbling into the dirt. "Hey! You're good!"

Zoey punched her palm with a confident smirk. "I know." The fight resumed, but this time Zoey sprinted at Izzy. Izzy tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but Zoey jumped up and made first contact, a solid right hook to the face. Izzy recovered quickly from the hit, though, and shoulder rammed Zoey into the dirt while she was still off balance from her landing. Izzy attempted to karate kick Zoey while she was on the ground, and succeeded in getting a glancing blow on Zoey's ribs as she rolled to the side to dodge.

The two continued to exchange more blows and blocks.

* * *

**(Confessional: Chris.)**

Chris sits on the toilet with a goofy grin on his face. "Man, did you _see_ that catfight? I am _so_ glad our contestants are all safely over legal age now, the stuff we get is so much _jucier_!" He rubs his hands together.

A noise is heard from outside the Confessional. T the door opens to reveal Rodney, an equally goofy grin on his face, and Chris gives him a strange look. "Oh, sorry," Rodney apologizes, "I didn't realize someone was in here."

"Come to talk about the catfight?" Chris asked, a small grin on his face.

Rodney flushed, "yeah."

"Sweet, eh?"

"Sweet." Rodney agreed. The two exchanged a fist bump, and Rodney turns to look the camera dead in the soul. "Their _boobs_ jiggled nicely when they were fighting."

Chris, who was looking relaxed at first despite the interruption, looks skeeved out at this comment, and shies away from Rodney a little bit. "Jeez, Rodney. I take back my fist bump."

"Oh, sorry," Rodney said, going even more crimson, "I kinda forgot you were in here. I was lost in the…" he trails off, heaving a dreamy sigh, "mammaries…uh, I mean memories!"

"Dude, just get out," Chris says flatly, and Rodney retracts his head from the Confessional in shame. The door closes, and Chris turns to look at the camera. "That guy… has _issues_."

**(End Confessional: Chris.)**

* * *

The fight continued, but it was clear that Zoey was slowly but surely getting overwhelmed. Their four teammates, despite the fact that they could have and should have been setting up the rest of camp, found it hard to look away from the spectacle.

Zoey attempted to block the rapid flurry of punches and kicks that was Izzy, but she kept getting grazed here and knocked there. Getting more flustered and annoyed, she grit her teeth in pain as Izzy hip-threw her onto the ground. Suddenly, a _Ding_ was heard from behind them.

A TV rose out of the dirt, and Chris's voice was heard. "You've completed a challenge!"

Izzy's fist stopped inches from Zoey's nose. "Aww," The crazy girl pouted, "no fun!"

Zoey, who was on the ground and panting heavily, coughed. "Wow, Izzy, you're really good," she said politely.

Izzy offered Zoey a hand and she took it gratefully. She was hoisted to her feet and dusted herself off. "No offense," Izzy told her, "but Izzy thought you'd be better. You kicked Chef's butt once, and that's not easy to do!" Little did Izzy know, Chef let out a happy squeal from his place in the surveillance room.

"Yeah, but I was in a dark place when I did that," Zoey told her.

"You mean what fans call 'Commando Zoey'?" Noah asked.

"Yeah," Zoey agreed, "but I think it's better for everyone if Commando Zoey never makes an appearance again.

Rodney gulped, "C-c-c-commando?" He winced, "uh, I'm gonna go find us some food!" He said, suddenly sprinting into the woods. The rest of his team gave his large back a weird look, especially since the farm boy was staring straight up. He plowed right through a small tree and continued deeper into the woods, unbothered.

"Ooh, new mission," Izzy said, walking over to the tent with Zoey, "we're gonna let you channel the fighting prowess of your inner Commando, without getting all brutal and barbaric!"

Zoey offered the girl a friendly smile, "I doubt it's that simple, but I guess we can try!"

"Alright team, as fun as this has been," Lightning said, "can we get these challenges done?"

"Sure, let's go get some firewood." Noah told him, beginning to walk off towards the forest.

"Oh, I'll come with you guys!" Sky said happily.

Noah turned to face her, unamused. "Help Zoey and Izzy with the tent. We won't be gone long."

Sky didn't look too happy about this, but didn't want to put up a fuss. "Okay, I guess."

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

"Finally," Noah rolls his eyes, "I get Lightning away from his second shadow. The fact that he's developed some semblance of social skills and smarts makes him one of the most formidable players in the game. If we were able to team up I think we'd be a pretty unstoppable duo, but it's been hard to get him alone with Sky crawling all over him."

**(End Confesional: Noah.)**

* * *

"Ooh, piece of wood!" Lightning said happily, bending down to pick up a piece of wood. He saw another. "Ooh, piece of wood! Ooh, piece of wood! Ooh, piece of wood! Ooh, piece of-"

"Yes, there's lots of wood," Noah said impatiently, "listen, Lightning, what do you think of the others on the team?"

Lightning straightened up, his arms full of wood. "Lightning's teammates? They're okay. Izzy is crazy and Rodney's a little weird. Don't think Zoey likes the Lightning much either. Sky is cool. Why you asking anyways?"

"I just think it might be smart to be in an alliance," Noah offered, getting right to the point. "If you, me and Izzy team up, we can get Sky too and have majority."

"Hmm," Lightning tossed the twenty-or-so pieces of wood up into the air and caught them one by one so they stacked together nicely, "Lightning's trying to play a clean game this time, Big-Forehead-Guy."

"Just Noah is fine," Noah said flatly.

"Anyways, Lightning don't need an alliance before the merge. He's gonna be the best team player he can be! We ain't even gonna lose!"

Noah did not look happy with this, "are you sure? You're so strong, people might target you so you don't make the merge."

Lightning rolled his eyes, "maybe they'll target _you_ cause you're so sha-_scrawny_. Maybe _you_ are just tryna buddy with me cause you're worried about _you_."

Noah didn't let himself look rattled by Lightning's observation, and bent down to pick up a stick. "Whatever, dude. If you don't want to ally, on your head be it."

"Sha-whatever indeed." Lightning began jogging back to the campsite. "C'mon, we gotta get this campfire going."

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

"Well, that was pretty much a complete disaster," Noah sighs, "Guess I'll have to just stick with Izzy for now. Maybe we can make nice with Zoey. Love-puppy Sky will probably vote with Lightning and Rodney is too much of a wildcard, so we at _least_ need one extra person besides me and Nutzy to force a tie." He shakes his head, "this is gonna be brutal."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

"Alright, so that's what, 20 points?" Jo asked, looking at the crackling fire and the setup tent.

Duncan observed the board, "Yup. 130 more to go," he straightened up and looked at the rest of his team. "So, what next?"

"Jo, you're probably the toughest person on the team," Beardo told her, "would you wanna find and taunt a bear?"

Jo thought about it for a second, but ultimately shook her head. "Nah, we could waste tons of valuable time and not even _find_ a stupid bear. Let's just get the rest of these tasks done."

"Uh, hold on a second," Duncan interrupted, shooting a look at Beardo, "who said Jo was the toughest person on the team?"

"Yeah," Scott agreed, "I've been through _way_ more heinous injuries than you, Jo."

Jo laughed, "yeah, because you're a dumb loser that gets hurt because you're not smart enough to avoid it."

"Nuh-uh," Scott crossed his arms, "I'd like to see how _you_ would've fared if you had a mutant shark after you all season."

"I woulda beat the snot out of it and made myself a nice pair of sharkskin boots." Jo told him.

"Sure you would've," Scott mocked, "say, didn't you get kicked out _third_ last time we played?"

"Hah, yeah she did," Duncan added, "before that fat gamer dude too! Bet that musta stung, huh Jo?"

Jo's eye twitched, and she raised a fist threateningly, "you two better shut up before _I _shut you up."

"You don't scare me, Jo," Duncan rolled his eyes, "you're all talk."

Jo walked forward and hoisted Duncan up by his shirt. Since he was rather short, his feet dangled a couple of inches off the ground. "Wanna _bet_?"

"Hah. There were scarier looking _cripples_ in jail," Duncan snorted, "now get your hands off me before I _make_ you get your hands off me."

Two two growled at each other, glaring razor-sharp daggers.

"Oh my _God_, knock it off you two," came a voice, making the two look over.

Gwen glared at them, "we are on the _same_ freakin' team, okay? So knock off this stupid Weiner measuring contest and let's win this thing, okay?" Duncan took this interruption to wiggle out of Jo's grasp, and Jo let him go without resistance.

"I dunno," Scott offered with a devious smirk, "fighting one another _is_ one of the requirements for this stupid challenge."

Everyone paused at this, and Jo and Duncan shot each other a vicious grin. They both let out a battle cry as they dove at each other, and began wrestling viciously with each other.

"Ugh," Gwens blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Well, if it's for the challenge, I guess."

Sammy took a look around her at the rest of her teammates. Beardo was warming his hands by the fire, Gwen was looking at the grappling Jo and Duncan with contempt, and Scott was wringing his hands together as he chuckled darkly to himself.

"Uhh…Scott? What are you doing?" Sammy asked him.

Scott stopped his scummy mannerisms and quickly straightened up, whistling nonchalantly. "Uh, just thinking," he told her.

"Do you always rub your hands together and chuckle evilly when you think?" Sammy raised her eyebrows.

Scott crossed his arms and gave her the stink eye, "do you _always_ ask such obnoxious, intrusive questions?"

Sammy flinched, "Uh, I didn't think I was being intrusive, but whatever." An idea seemed to strike her, and she quickly looked over to Gwen and then back at Scott. "Say, Scott, let's go hunting for some food, okay? I bet we can find something."

Scott didn't look happy about this, but began to walk off towards the forest anyways, "well, I know _I'm_ good at foraging stuff, but I don't know what good some sissy whiny loser would do."

"Hmph," Sammy glared at the back of his head, but quickly jogged to catch up to him. After walking for a few seconds, she stopped and turned around. "Hold on a sec, I gotta run back to camp and grab a bag."

"Ugh," Scott whined, "god…whatever, slow me down, why don't you?"

Sammy ignored him and jogged the sixty or so feet back to the camp, where Duncan and Jo were still wrestling and Gwen was sitting by the fire, ignoring them.

"Where's Beardo?" Sammy asked Gwen, looking around for the chubby beatboxer.

Gwen shrugged, "he said he'd be right back, but I dunno what he's up to. As for the Wonder Twins," she jerked her thumb at Jo and Duncan, "they completed their challenge fifteen seconds ago, but they're too engrossed to have heard the notification."

Sammy leant closer to Gwen and put her hand up to her mouth. Gwen, curious, leaned her ear towards the ex-cheerleader. "So," Sammy whispered, "I'm gonna go get food with Scott, and I'll try and convince him to vote for Duncan when we lose for the first time. Sound good?"

Gwen turned a contemptuous glance towards the still wrestling Duncan and Jo and turned back to Sammy. "Sounds _great_."

Sammy gave her a thumbs up. "Alright!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Scott.)**

"Sammy's _up _to something," Scott confesses, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "she wanted to get me alone to talk to me about something, but I wonder about _what_…maybe she wants to vote off Jo. That'd be sweet."

**(End Confessional: Scott.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

A roughed up Duncan puts an icepack to his head. "Man, I gotta stop rising to Jo's bait," he laments, wincing. "As if I really give a crap about who the toughest person in the team is… but damnit, she's just so abrasive! I feel like I have to prove her wrong!" He sighs, and winces again, "Ow…."

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

Over at the Oddball campsite, things were going…rather well, actually.

"Alright!" Owen cheered, "we have fire and we have tent! Awesome, baby!"

"That's only 20 points, though," Brick told him, "we need more."

"Well I know a good way to get 70," Jasmine smirked. "I'm gonna go find a bear and taunt that sucker."

"You're really gonna do that," Bridgette asked nervously, "that's really dangerous!"

"Pfft, I'm from _Australia_, Bridgette. We've got more menacing house spiders."

Brick shivered at that, "yuck…"

"Do you want some help, Jazz?" Shawn asked her, "might be faster with the two of us if we combine our tracking skills."

Jasmine looked at the rest of her team. Owen was gnawing on some beef jerky, Bridgette was looking into the forest nervously, and Brick was at the ready. "How about you help the others find some food," Jasmine offered, "we're gonna need a bunch if we wanna get that task done about feeding the whole team."

Shawn looked a little disappointed, but nodded. "Alright, that's fair."

Jasmine put a hand on his shoulder, "don't get me wrong, Shawn, I'd love for you to come with, but we gotta put the challenge first."

Owen walked over to the two and clapped Jasmine on the back, making her wince, "don't worry Jasmine," he told her happily, "I'll take care of the food situation. I just gotta find me a river and then it's fish city, baby!"

Jasmine didn't look particularly convinced, "I dunno…"

"Seriously, I got this! You two should go kick a bears butt," the chubby boy shot Shawn a thumbs up, and Shawn smiled gratefully in return.

Jasmine still looked a little reluctant, but when she saw the content look on Shawn's face she relented. "Alright," she said with a little smile at Shawn, "let's go, babe."

The two ran off into the forest, and the three remaining Oddballs looked around at each other.

"So, Owen's gonna go get the food," Brick said, "but what should Bridgette and I do?"

"I'm fine with anything as long as we stay near the campsite," Bridgette said, still peering nervously into the forest, "I'd rather not go into the forest with such small groups."

"Well, I'm off to get some food. See you guys in a bit," Owen said, hoofing it into the forest.

Bridgette and Brick looked at each other, then walked over to the list and examined it.

"Uh, do you dance?" Bridgette asked Brick.

Brick shook his head. "Negative. Do you?"

"Yeah," Bridgette shrugged, "I've always liked to let loose on the dance floor."

"I'm guessing Owen would likely be your best competition for a dance-off." Brick told her, walking over to the fire, "there is one thing I feel I can do for my team, though."

"What's that?" Bridgette asked.

Brick bent down and scooped up a small handful of dirt. "This will not be enjoyable," he shuddered, quickly pouring the dirt into his mouth. He didn't bother chewing it and just swallowed, but immediately gagged and began coughing.

"Whoa!" Bridgette hurried over to Brick and began patting him on the back. "Brick, you okay?"

"Fine, fine," Brick wheezed, continuing to cough and hack. Eventually he settled down and straightened up, panting. "That was disgusting."

"You've completed a challenge!"

"Nice work, though," the surfer smiled at him, "a cool 10 points."

Brick wiped dirt-spittle off his mouth and headed over to one of the packs, snagging a bottle of water. He rinsed his mouth out and spat. "That's better. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you, Bridgette."

"Oh? What about?"

"We're in trouble," he told her, "Shawn and Jasmine are a strong couple and Owen has become good friends with Shawn. We need to stick together otherwise we'll be picked off one by one. We need to break up that power couple."

"Sure," Bridgette agreed, "but just the two of us won't be enough. It'll still be three of them against two of us."

"You and Owen are friends, right? Any chance you can convince him to switch platoons?" Brick asked, "Owen seems to be closer to Shawn, so maybe we can get him to vote out Jasmine."

"I don't know…I mean I can try," Bridgette said uncertainly.

"That's all you can do," Brick told her, "but we seem to be a pretty good team. I doubt we'll lose many challenges."

"Yeah," Bridgette looked a little pacified, "let's just focus on winning challenges, but I'm down to be in an alliance."

Brick held out a hand, "alright then, partner."

Bridgette shook his hand.

* * *

"I'm back!" Rodney called out from the bushes.

Around the blazing campfire, the five other Alphas turned to look as Rodney stomped into the campsite. He had half a dozen fish tied together, and also what looked like four skinned rabbits at his belt.

"Good thing DJ isn't here," Izzy giggled, eyeing the skinned rabbits.

"Or Bridgette." Noah added, "Nice haul, Rodney."

"Thanks," The farm boy smiled, "should be enough for everyone. What'd you guys get done?"

"A lot, actually," Noah said, beginning to tick off his fingers, "tent is done, fire is up, Izzy ate some dirt, and Izzy and Lightning had a dance off. With enough food for the whole team and counting Izzy and Zoey's sparring match, that puts us at…70 points."

"We'll have 85 if one of us eats a raw fish," Sky added.

"Ooh, me! I'll do it!" Izzy said, walking up to Rodney and swiping a fish from the bundle. "Cheers, guys!" She said, toasting her teammates with the wriggling, slimy fish. She then took a massive bite out of it. Chewing, her eyes widened and she winced in pain. "Ah! Bone splinter!" She spit out a fishbone. "Ew!"

"You've completed a challenge!"

Zoey looked at the retreating TV. "Nice, looks like you don't have to eat the whole thing." She gave Izzy a weird look, "uh, where's the rest of the fish?"

Izzy burped up a fishbone and gave her stomach a hearty pat, "sorry, I was hungry!"

Zoey shuddered, queasy.

"Alright, that's 85. We need 65 more to pass," Noah said, examining the board.

"Yo, how much does that bear challenge get us?" Lightning asked from the fire.

"70," Noah replied, "which _would_ be enough, but I don't think any of us want to go out and taunt a bear."

"Pfft, Lightning'll do it," Lightning said, "once he fills his tummy it'll be," he flexed his muscles, "sha-easy!"

"I dunno, Lightning," sky said, a little worried, "that's pretty dangerous. Bears are fast."

"Ain't nothing faster than the Lightning," Lightning assured her, "like he said. Sha. Easy!"

"Well, you can go look for a bear if you want," Zoey told him.

"But there's no guarantee you'll actually find one," Noah added, and the two exchanged a knowing look.

"We'll need to have a back up plan," Zoey told him, "and Lightning, you need to accept the responsibility that if something happens to you while you're searching and we lose because of it, we're not gonna have much of a choice on who to vote off."

"Y'all worry to much," Lightning grumbled, looking a little offended. "Lightning will be _fine_. Now let's get some food cooking."

"Alright then," Noah and Zoey agreed, "Who's on Chef duty?" The egghead asked.

"I got this," Rodney said confidently, "me and my brothers went camping on the outskirts of our farm all the time. Heck, I'm probably more comfortable cooking on campfire spit than a gas oven."

"Okie-dokie," Zoey said, "we'll leave it in your hands, Rodney."

As Rodney busied himself finding some sticks to make a decent spit, the rest of the Alphas regrouped.

"So, what else can we do?" Zoey asked.

"Ooh, let's go for a swim while Rodney cooks," Izzy suggested, "that could be fun!"

"I mean for the challenge," Zoey told her, "and besides, I didn't bring my suit."

"There's not much we can do, unless we wanna wipe our butts with scratchy leaves," Noah said. "Everything else either involves the bear, sleeping outside the tent, or getting everyone up before the sun rises."

"Hopefully we won't need to do any of that if Lightning can find the bear," Sky said, "speaking of which," she turned to the strong jock, "do you want some help finding one? It might be better to have more than one person looking."

"Lightning appreciates the offer, Shorty," Lightning said kindly, patting an unamused Sky on top of her head, "but Lightning thinks it'll be quicker and safer if he's by himself. No offense, but he prefers to work alone."

Sky looked a little crestfallen. "Okay…"

"I don't think there's anything we can do," Noah said, "let's just relax for a little bit and eat up. We'll know what we have to do if Lightning can't find a bear, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Just make sure you do it fast," Zoey added to Lightning, "it's gonna start getting dark soon."

"You can count on the Lightning!"

* * *

"So…Scott…" Sammy said awkwardly.

The two had been foraging for berries but hadn't had a ton of luck.

Scott sighed impatiently, "what?"

"I was just wondering…who were you planning on voting for when we lose for the first time?"

Scott rolled his eyes, "might be _you_ if you keep up these annoying questions."

Sammy flinched, "well…I was thinking, err, _we_ were thinking of someone to vote off, but we'd need your help."

Scott, who had been a few paces ahead of Sammy, stopped abruptly and turned sharply to face the cheerleader. "I'm listening," he said seriously.

"Well, you'll have to promise not to tell anyone," Sammy said nervously.

"That's a pretty naive thing to ask of me," Scott rolled his eyes, "but look, I've been thinking _I would _probably first boot from this team since you all are a bunch of softies. If it means I don't get eliminated, I'll keep your secret plan secret. Now, spill."

Sammy looked at Scott for a moment, then finally spilled. "Gwen wants to kick Duncan off."

Scott initially looked surprised, but quickly knit his face into one of nonchalance. "Huh, I thought it would be Jo you guys would be targeting, but that's fine with me. That jerk annoys me."

"R-really? You're down for it?" Sammy asked, eyes wide.

"Sure," Scott said, eyeing the surprised blonde. "Look toots, it seems you got a lot to learn about strategy in this game. Stick with me, and maybe I can teach you."

Sammy let out a little giggle, startling him. "Sorry Scott, I'm not _that_ gullible," she said playfully.

Scott lost his startled expression and shot her a crooked grin. "Eh, it was worth a try."

"Whatever you say. Now c'mon, this won't be nearly enough food."

* * *

Back at the Nuclear campsite, Duncan and Jo had finally stopped fighting and Jo had gone off in search of the still absent Beardo. That left Gwen and Duncan alone at the campsite.

"Ugh, why do I let myself stoop to her level," Duncan complained, sitting down on the ground next to a still irritable Gwen.

Gwen scoffed and rolled her eyes, "it's a mystery." She eyes the disheveled delinquent, "and you got your butt kicked."

"I know," Duncan grumbled, "she's gonna pay." He quickly widened his eyes as he realized what he said. After looking around the campground and seeing no one was there, he relaxed. "If you ever tell Jo I admitted to that," he warned.

Gwen cracked a smile, "you'll what?"

"I'll…" Duncan tried to come up with something good, "dye your hair pink in your sleep."

"You wouldn't dare," Gwen smirked, "you'd be _so_ dead."

"Seeing you with pink hair might be worth it though," Duncan joked, and the two shared a quick laugh.

However, Gwen seemed to realize what was happening, and quickly wiped the smile off her face and quieted down. She angled her body a little way from the punk and blew her bangs out of her face.

Duncan noticed and reclined against a nearby log, the very picture of relaxation . "So," he ventured, "you catch the most recent Alien Massacre movie?"

"Yup," Gwen said shortly.

There was a few seconds of silence before Duncan tried again. "Personally, I thought the third one was better," he dropped his voice into a gritty growl, "Alien Massacre III, Massacre of the Aliens, Part III!"

Gwen digested this as she fought the emotions inside her. Part of her wanted to continue to ignore the punk, but the other part couldn't let him get away with the blasphemy he had just spouted. She whipped around to face him, offended. "As _if_. The second one will always be the best."

"The second one?" Duncan laughed, his tone mocking, "Alien Massacre II, Massacre in the Mines? As if! When the dude picks his pickaxe up and is all 'men! We must rally!'? I mean, _come on_!"

"What do you mean, '_come on_'?" Gwen retaliated, "that was an epic speech!"

"Epicly dorky, maybe," Duncan smirked.

"Your _face_ is epicly dorky," Gwen retorted, her own smirk threatening to return.

"Ooh, ouch, sick burn," Duncan mocked, "I dunno how I'll ever recover."

Gwen rolled her eyes and let out another dry laugh, "I'm sure you'll manage."

"Seriously, though, Alien Massacre III might've bit, but the newest Elmridge Slaughterhouse was amazing."

"That we can agree on," Gwen said with a nod, "when that little kid finds his dead grandpas feet dangling out of the air duct?"

"Or when the guy gets gored by the crane hook!" Duncan said with a dark chuckle.

The two continued to talk about horror movies as the sun began to sink down on the horizon.

* * *

Shawn and Jasmine were confidently running through the woods.

"Alright," Shawn said, looking at the ground as he ran. "These tracks are old, but there's multiple sets of 'em. Probably lead us right back to it's cave."

"Perfect," Jasmine told him, "then I run in, taunt the bugger, and we skedaddle. Easy as pie."

"Easy as pie," Shawn agreed. They continued running for a little while before finally reaching an ominous looking cave. Little did they know, it was the very cave Katie and Sadie had gotten lost in many years prior. "Alright, we're here," Shawn told her, "let's get to it!"

"Alright. You keep watch, I'll make sure the bear is actually home," Jasmine told him, jogging into the cave. She peered around, a little nervous because of of her fear of confined spaces, but kept her nerve. It helped that the cave was rather open and spacious, and she squinted around in the dim light looking for the bear. Luckily for her, the bear was sleeping soundly on the floor of the cave, snoring slightly.

"Perfect," Jasmine grinned, running up to the bear and giving it a firm poke on the nose. As it began to wake up, she blew a raspberry at it, and booked it.

"Alright Shawn let's move it!" She cheered as she bolted out of the cave. Shawn watched her go before hearing some disgruntled bear noises, and he too began to run off screen.

* * *

"You've completed a challenge!"

Brick and Bridgette looked at each other, surprised. It was starting to turn into dusk, and the sky was beginning to get a little orange.

"Huh, I wonder what that was," Brick said, "Shawn and Jasmine, or Owen?"

"Who knows, but either way we just got some points."

"Woohoo!" Came a voice from the forest. Heavy footfalls shook the earth as the joyful Owen emerged into the campsite, a bunch of fish tied up in his arms. "Can someone say _dinner_?!

"You've completed a challenge!"

"Wow, Owen!" Brick cheered, "what a haul!"

There had to have been a dozen fish, at least. Owen walked up to the fire and began setting up a spit. "Brick, you know how to gut fish?" He asked the cadet.

Brick saluted, "absolutely! That's a basic survival skill we learned in bootcamp!"

"Cool!" Owen tossed him a couple of fish, and Brick pulled out a utility blade from his combat belt. While Brick started gutting, Owen turned to Bridgette. "Hey Bridgette, I wasn't able to find any berries or something vegetarian for you," he looked down at the ground sadly, "I'm sorry…"

"Aw, don't worry about it, Owen!" Bridgette told him warmly, giving the sad guy a quick hug. "We brought some granola bars, I'll just have a couple of those! It'll be good enough for one night."

"Still, I feel bad," Owen sighed. The boy sat down next to the fire with a big thud and began working on a makeshift rack to cook the fish on. "Jerky and granola bars are good," the Fatboy said wisely, "but there's something about grilled meat that really brings out your primal instincts…mmmm…" he sucked a bit of drool back into his mouth and continued working.

More rustling, and Shawn and Jasmine burst gracefully into the campsite from the trees, breathless and grinning.

Brick eyed their smiles. "I take it you guys accomplished your mission?"

"You bet we did!" Shawn said happily. He and Jasmine walked over to the campfire, holding hands, and eyed all the fish.

"Wow, Owen," Jasmine seemed impressed, "you caught all these?"

"Yup! I've always had a knack for fishing," Owen told her. He finished his little grill rack and hung it over the fire. "Alright, I'm gonna help Brick gut the rest of these fish, then it's cooking city!"

"I'll take care of the rest, soldier," Brick said in his commanding voice, "you've done enough."

Owen paused from his attempt to leave the ground and shrugged, thudding back down. Instead, he grabbed the bundle of fish and tossed it at Brick. The bundle hit him in the face and he got fish slime all over his face. "Whoops, sorry…"

As Brick gagged and cleaned himself off, Jasmine let go of Shawn's hand and headed over to the noticeboard. "So," the Ozzie asked, "how many points do we need now?"

Bridgette joined her, "Brick ate some dirt while you were gone, so that means we were at 30. If we add the 70 from the bear and the 20 from finding enough food, that puts us at 120."

"Only 30 more," Jasmine said, "not bad." She scanned the list, "so, what are the odds of us all sleeping outside the tent?"

"I'd guess not good," Owen called from the fire. "Bridgette hates the woods so she probably wants to be in the tent."

Jasmine gave Bridgette a curious look, "really?"

"It's true," Bridgette admitted, "I don't think I'd feel comfortable with the sleeping outside thing."

"Alright, well let's see what our other options are." Shawn said, joining the two girls. "I know for a fact I can get everyone up before dawn, so that'll be another 20 points. We just need something that's 10 points…and I know just the thing!" He turned to Brick, "Oi, Brick! Toss me an un-gutted fish!"

Brick nodded and tossed the survivalist a fish. Without hesitation, he took a ginormous bite out of it's head.

Bridgette turned green and looked away. "Ugh, gross!"

Shawn chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. After a second, he pounded his chest, and burped up a pointy fish bone. "Fish bones," he told his teammates, "they can make excellent projectiles in the zombie apocalypse," he pocketed the bone.

"You've completed a challenge!"

"And we're done," Shawn smirked, tossing the rest of the fish into the bushes behind him.

"How can you just eat that?" Brick asked, looking a little queasy.

"I ate tree bark and moss last season," Shawn told him, heading back to the cozy fire and settling down, "this was a five-star meal compared to _that_ stuff."

"Just don't expect me to kiss you anytime soon, fish-breath," Jasmine teased, ruffling his beanie-clad head as she sat next to him.

"So we just have to trust Shawn to get us up before dawn, huh?" Owen said. He began to lay the fish out on his makeshift grill, and they made pleasant sizzling noises as they began to cook. "That's a shame, I was kinda looking forward to a dance-off!" He leapt to his feet and hit the nae-nae. "Juju on that beat am I _right, _fellow kids?!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine rolls her eyes, "That Owen bloke is something else, isn't he?" She says, unable to keep a smile off her face.

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen.)**

Owen furiously nae-naes until he slips on the floor and wipes out. A fart sound and pained grunt is heard off-camera from the ground.

**(End Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

Lightning jogged through the forest. It was beginning to get dark out, and the jock was a little nervous. "Sha-crap," he grumbled, "Lightning doesn't remember which way the camp was!"

He continued to jog around the forest, at this point just looking for his campsite rather than try to find a bear. The sun was quickly changed from orange to purple, and after purple came nighttime.

"Sha-crap-crap-crap!" Lightning yelled out, visibly frustrated.

He continued to run around, and eventually, by sheer coincidence, he found himself at the bear cave.

"Oh snap, Lightning found it!" Lightning exclaimed. He quickly lost his surprised look and adorned one of cockiness, "Uh, he means, uh, he knew he'd find it! Lightning wasn't worried at _all_. Nuh-uh!" He strode confidently into the den. "Here beary-beary-bear!" He yelled, "you should fear, cause Lightning's here!"

There was some grumbling from deep inside the cave, and Lightning continued on, undeterred.

"Man, it's dark in here," the jock observed. He crashed into something suddenly, and cried out in surprise. "Hey! What's this soft, fuzzy thing Lightning just hit? It's making all kinds of noise, too! Sha-OW! What are these sharp things that feel suspiciously like teeth!" There was sudden light as the bear Lightning had crashed into turned on a headlamp strapped to its head and shined it down on the jock. Lightning stared at it for a good three seconds before screaming like a little girl and turning to run. He ran almost to the mouth of the cave as the bear looked after it, perplexed. Right at the edge of the cave, Lightning stopped, still screaming, and turned around. He beelined back towards the bear. The bear watched as Lightning ran up to it and booped it on its nose, making it jump. Lightning stopped his screaming just long enough to yell, "Sha-boop! Gotcha nose!" before resuming his screaming and leaving the cave.

The bear shook its massive, furry head and sighed. It switched off its headlamp and plodded back into the cave.

* * *

**(Confessional: Bear.)**

The bear, still donning its hardhat/headlamp, looks disgruntled and irritated. As it grunts and snorts, subtitles appear underneath it. "_I don't understand why these people keep bothering me. I'm just trying to work on my home renovations. Stupid nerds._

**(End Confessional: Bear.)**

* * *

"You've completed a challenge!"

The five Alphas looked around in surprise at the noise.

"Huh, looks like Lightning came through!" Zoey said, surprised.

The Alphas were sitting calmly around the fire, cooking Rodney's food and chatting amicably. Notably, Rodney had been a lot more relaxed talking to the girls.

"Like there was any doubt he would," Sky told Zoey, a trace of haughtiness in her voice. "You don't give him enough credit."

"And you don't know him like I do," Zoey retorted, "maybe he's a bit nicer than he used to be, but those memories of him are still in my mind. I can't just forget them."

"I watched Revenge of the Island and All-Stars," Sky shot back, "he wasn't that bad at all. Nothing like Scarlett or Max or Sugar or Dave or Leonard or-"

"We get it," Noah interrupted, "your season was full of wackjobs. Want a medal?"

Sky glared at him. "I just think you all should cut Lightning a break."

"Of course you do," Noah rolled his eyes.

Sky hunched up her shoulders, "what is _that _supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing," Noah said nonchalantly.

Awkward silence followed. Eventually, Izzy turned to Rodney, hoping to break it. "Say, Rodney," she said, "you've been more relaxed around us chicas. What's up with that?"

Rodney took a bite of fish and stared at the fire thoughtfully, "I dunno…maybe being out in nature makes me feel more in my element. I feel more like I'm at home and more relaxed."

"That's nice, Rodney," Zoey said positively.

"Yup, I'm taking it one step at a time," Rodney said, taking another bite of fish. "I just hope Lightning makes it back in time. It's officially dark out now."

As if on cue, screaming could be heard in the distance.

Sky shot to her feet. "Did you guys hear that?"

Zoey was on her feet in a second too, "I did!"

Another scream.

"Let's go!" The two girls said in unison. They began running towards the source of the screaming. As they got closer, they began to make out words like "where the heck is Lightning?" And "Holy crap it's dark!" And "AUGHUGHUH!"

Zoey and Sky exchanged a glance as they ran. "It's Lightning," Zoey said, a little relieved, "that's good."

"Hopefully he wasn't hurt. I knew someone should've gone with him for the bear," Sky lamented. "Lightning! Lightning!"

The camera cut to Lightning, who was blindly sprinting through the woods, panicking. He stopped at the sound and skidded to a halt. "Shorty?" He began jogging towards the voice. "Shorty! Where are you?!"

"We're over here!" Came Zoey's voice from the dark. Lightning ran towards it and crashed into something soft and warm. He hit the dirt and crunched the poor person underneath him.

"Oh snap!" Lightning hoisted Sky to her feet, "sorry, Shorty!" He gave her a rib crushing hug. "Lightning is so glad he found you guys! He thought he'd be lost forever!" He let go of Sky and made to give Zoey a hug, but she put her hands up and shook her head. Lightning awkwardly dropped his arms.

Sky, glad the darkness hid her flaming cheeks, pat Lightning on the shoulder, "Are you okay? She asked, "you're not hurt?"

"Depends," Lightning said, "did y'all hear Lightning screaming and panicking?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well then the only thing hurt is his integrity," he sighed. "Y'all know the way back to camp?"

"It's this way," Zoey said, "let's go. We have enough points now."

Sky and Lightning followed Zoey and before they knew it they were back at camp.

"Alright Lightning!" Rodney complimented, "nice work on the bear, dude!"

"Thanks," Lightning said, plopping down, "any more food left?"

Izzy tossed him a rabbit leg, and the jock went to town on it.

* * *

"Okay, we're back," Jo said, emerging into the shadowy light with Beardo in tow.

"Finally," Sammy exclaimed, "we were getting worried about you! Where were you guys?"

"Relax," Jo told her. The rest noticed her bulging sweatshirt pockets, "I tracked down Beardo, and it turns out he found a bunch of berry bushes. We got so many so this _has_ to be enough."

Sure enough, "You've completed a challenge!"

"That puts us at 60," Gwen said, "we still need 90 points."

"Well what about a dance off?" Duncan suggested.

"No way, I don't dance," Gwen, Scott and Jo said at the exact same time.

"Oo-kay," Duncan said, giving them weird looks. "Beatbox, what about you?"

"Sorry man, I just _make_ dance music." Beard shook his head.

"Sammy?"

The cheerleader shook her head, embarrassed, "I…don't think so. Too embarrassing."

Duncan looked annoyed, "ugh, fine. Well then I guess we're all wiping with leaves."

"Sure, only sissies wouldn't want to do that," Jo told him. "That's 30 points. We'll get another 30 if we all sleep outside and get up before sunrise. That'll give us 120 points. Still need 30 more."

"What about the dirt eating?" Gwen asked.

Scott stepped up. "Well, we do wanna win," he said, stooping down to grab a handful of soil, "and I'd be lying if I said this was my first time." He grabbed the small handful of dirt and toasted the others. "Cheers, losers."

"Ew," Sammy gagged, turning away. "Are you really gonna do that."

Scott shrugged and downed the whole handful.

"You've completed a challenge!"

"Okay," Jo gave him a weird look, "that'll still need us to get 20 points. We don't have any fish, raw or otherwise, and if no one is having a dance off…crap!"

"What is it?" Beardo asked, worried.

"We'll need to track down a bear!" Jo clapped her hand to her forehead, "we can't get enough points anyways."

Scott wiped dirt crumbs from his mouth, "screw that, I'll take a dance off over having to mess with a bear any day."

"It still won't be enough, we'll be five points off." Gwen sighed.

"Well we're not hunting a bear down in the dark without any light source, that's for sure," Jo said, "we'll just have to make a detour in the morning."

"No way, we'll totally be in last if we have to do that," Duncan complained.

"We don't have a choice!" Jo snapped.

"This sucks," Scott grumbled.

"Shut it, dirt face!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Scott.)**

"People are so judgmental," Scott says with a roll of his eyes. "Dirt ain't that bad. There are worse things to be forced to choke down."

The door opens, and Josee sticks her head in the Confessional, venom in her tone. "Like a silver medal!" She hocks up a loogie and spits on the floor.

Scott nods his head sagely, eyes closed. "Exactly…" his eyes shoot open, "wait, what the fu-"

**(End Confessional: Scott.)**

* * *

"You sure you're okay to keep watch, Shawn?" Jasmine asked her boyfriend, "want me to stay up with you?"

"No way Jazz, I got this." Shawn said confidently as he scaled a tree. "You can't afford to dose off in the apocalypse, so I'm an expert at staying awake. This measly ten hours won't be a problem at all!" He found a good spot and nestled in, "besides, I can tell it'll be exactly 9 hours 42 minutes until sunrise. I'll get you all up in time."

Jasmine scaled an adjacent tree, "alright, if you're sure." She looked down at Brick, Bridgette and Owen, all of whom were climbing into the tent. "G'night, guys!"

"Night!" Bridgette called, waving to them. They disappeared into the tent and zipped it up.

"I'm surprised Owen didn't want to sleep up here with us," Jasmine said to Shawn.

Shawn shrugged, "I dunno, he might have trouble finding a branch that supports his weight."

Jasmine snorted. "That's probably it."

* * *

"Okay, who's keeping watch for sunlight?" Noah asked.

"Izzy will do it!" Izzy volunteered, "Just let me get a couple hours of sleep first!"

"We could do two watches," Rodney suggested, "one of us stays up for a couple more hours and then wakes Izzy up to switch out?"

"Good idea," Noah said, "I'll take first watch."

"You sure?" Zoey asked him.

Noah held up a book, "as long as I have light for the fire, I'll be fine."

"Alright! Tent party!" Izzy cheered, diving into the tent. "Let's do it!"

"I'm gonna sleep outside the tent," Rodney told his team, "I'd just take up too much space."

"Yeah, that's true," Sky said, "alright then. Goodnight guys!"

* * *

The six Nuclears were lying outside on the hard ground.

"I can't believe we have to sleep on the ground." Duncan grumbled.

"Meh, it's not all bad. Better than sleeping on gassy livestock," Scott countered.

"Just shut up and go to bed," Jo barked. "We have a long day ahead of us."

They settled down and began to doze off.

* * *

Chris was settled in his private trailer. He was in a bathrobe and was clearly just about to turn in for the night. He was scrolling through his phone when it suddenly began to ring. Startled, he picked it up.

"Yo, this is Chris Mclean," he greeted. "Huh? No, he's not here right now. Nope. Probably tomorrow. Yeah, okay. Sure, I guess. Okay. Bye-bye, then." He hung up and gave the phone a weird look. "I wonder what this is all about…"

* * *

The night passed peacefully. Nothing too extreme happened nor did anyone get lost or burn their tent down. After a while the sky began to lighten, and one person was ready.

Shawn gracefully leapt from one branch to another until he got to Jasmine's tree. The Australian was passed out with her hat over her face. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, Jasmine, time to get up," he whispered.

Jasmine groaned and tipped her hat up onto her head. After a few seconds of drowsiness, she remembered where she was and quickly woke up. "Time to head out?"

Shawn nodded.

"Nice work, babe," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "Let's go wake the others."

The two leapt down from their trees and headed towards the tent. Shawn unzipped it and poked his head in, where Brick, Owen and Bridgette were all sleeping soundly.

"Guys," Shawn called softly, "Time to get up. We've got about twelve minutes until sun-up."

The three began to wake up, and Brick was first to get functioning. "Copy that," the soldier whispered, reaching for his boots. Once he was all suited up, he headed out into the campsite. "Morning, Jasmine."

"G'day," Jasmine greeted. She was over by the fire, stoking the remains. "Figured we'd cook the rest of that fish for breakfast."

"Sounds good," Brick said. Behind him, Shawn was continuing to try and rouse Owen and Bridgette, both of whom were slightly more reluctant to get up. "I love this time of day," he said, observing the quietness of the forest and the way the grey sky was beginning to lighten just a little.

"It's good," Shawn agreed, joining them. "Owen and Bridgette should be with us soon."

Sure enough, they all heard "You've completed a challenge!" As Owen and Bridgette stumbled out of the tent.

"Alright everyone, eat up!" Jasmine commanded, "as soon as we see the sun, we're hoofing it back to camp! We have enough points and we're all reasonably quick. This challenge is as good as ours!"

The five began to dig in.

* * *

The sun was now definitely up. Unfortunately for teams Alpha and Nuclear, their members were _not _up. The sun rose higher in the sky. 7am became 8am. 8am became 9:30am, and still no one stirred.

Eventually, Scott woke up needing to use the bathroom. He opened his eyes and gasped. "Holy crap, guys! We overslept! Get up! Get up!"

The five other Nuclears scrambled to their feet, still half asleep.

"Oh, my back," Gwen moaned, holding her sore body. Beside her, Beardo made an exaggerated cracking noise as he cracked his bent spine back into place.

"Oh no! We overslept!" Jo cried, "who fell asleep during watch?!"

Silence.

Duncan slapped his forehead, "we didn't assign someone to keep watch, idiot!"

"Ugh!" Jo stamped her foot. "C'mon! We gotta go hunt down a stupid bear or we're totally screwed!"

"If we're not already," Sammy sighed.

The six ran off into the woods, Jo looking at the map as she went.

* * *

About half an hour later, the first Alpha member woke up.

"Gah!" Zoey jumped up. "Oh no!" She burst out of the tent, "Izzy, we overslept!"

Izzy, who was snoozing by the fire, jolted up. She saw the shining sun and paled slightly, "Crap!"

Zoey stuck her head back in the tent. "Guys! Wake up! We gotta go _now_!"

Noah, Sky and Lightning jumped to their feet.

"Oh man, c'mon Crazy Girl!" Lightning exclaimed, "epic fail!"

"Let's just go!" Izzy shouted. Lightning scooped Noah over his shoulder as Zoey grabbed the map. They sprinted off into the woods.

* * *

Team Nuclear ran down the trail towards camp.

"Keep an eye out for caves!" Jo barked as they ran.

"A cave!" Sammy shouted.

Jo shot her an annoyed glance, "yes, a cave! That's probably where we'll find a bear!"

"No, a _cave_!" Sammy repeated, "I see one!"

Team Nuclear skidded to a halt and turned to look at Sammy, who was pointing off the trail. "There's one!"

"Good," Jo growled, stomping past a startled Sammy and off the path. "I'll be right back!"

Team Nuclear watched as Jo stomped up to the cave and disappeared inside. They waited with bated breath. There was nothing but silence for a few seconds before they heard Jo's voice. "Hey, bear face! I'm not in the mood, so shut your stupid yap! There was a yelp and an animalistic squeal, and Jo came stomping back out of the cave, something that looked suspiciously like bear fear stuck to her fingers. "Taunting done," she told her shocked team, "now let's get moving!"

* * *

Team Oddball were running through the forest.

"Why is this taking so much longer than yesterday?" Shawn panted, looking down at the map.

"I dunno," Owen wheezed, "but I don't know if I can make it much longer."

"We _have_ to be almost there," Bridgette panted, "seriously!"

"The map says we're close," Shawn assured her, "let's keep going!"

Sure enough, after a few more minutes of running, panting and wheezing, they finally approached the campground. Chris was there waiting for them.

"Team Oddball," Chris greeted, "you are…the first team back! And, if my information is correct, you have enough points, so you win today's challenge!"

Team Oddball erupted into cheers, but most were too tired to really celebrate.

"What's up with the path back?" Brick asked, examining his watch. "It's almost 2 in the afternoon! Why'd it take us 8 hours to get back?"

"I mighta had your maps switched out for a longer route while you guys weren't looking," Chris said mischievously, "Now, you guys are safe so you can go off and do whatever."

Team Oddball cheered again and headed off to relax.

"Now, let's see who the last team to arrive is," Chris grinned.

* * *

**(Confessional: Brick.)**

Brick looks relieved, "victory is sweet," the cadet admits, "especially since it would likely be my keister on the line if we were to lose. It's good to be safe another day."

**(End Confessional: Brick.)**

* * *

Team Alpha was sprinting through the woods.

"This is taking forever!" Zoey said, worried, "are we going the wrong way?"

"We're following the map," Noah said from over Lightning's shoulder. "We'll be fine, just keep going."

"Izzy knows a short cut," Izzy offered, "it can totally make up for sleeping through the sunrise."

"I dunno," Sky said, "no offense, but how do we know it's actually a short cut?"

"We're already pretty screwed," Rodney pointed out, "it can't hurt to try."

A silence settled over Team Alpha as they continued to run.

"He's gotta point," Lightning offered, "alright, lead the way Crazy Girl!"

Izzy took point and veered off the trail. "Let's go!"

The others followed her.

* * *

3pm came and went. So did 4pm. At 5:30, Chris was starting to look a little irritated. "Man, these guys are really taking their time, aren't they?"

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard, and six people came running out of the woods towards Chris.

It was…

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Team Nuclear.

"Oh man, there's no way we didn't come in last," Sammy said sadly, "it's so late in the day."

"That it is," Chris told her, "Team Nuclear, you are…the second team to arrive!"

"Wait, really?" Jo asked as the rest of Team Nuclear looked surprised. "Who still hasn't come back?"

As if on cue, Team Alpha burst from the woods.

"Oh no!" Lightning cried, "don't say we're the last ones back!"

"Afraid so," Chris told them.

Team Nuclear cheered as Team Alpha, Izzy specifically, looked downtrodden. Noah put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Then, Chris let out a very ominous giggle.

"However, it looks like a team is _disqualified_ from the challenge," Chris said with a sly look at Team Nuclear.

Jo caught onto the look and raised an eyebrow. "What? What do you mean? We have enough points!"

"Actually, you don't!"

Team Nuclear gasped collectively.

Gwen did some quick math on her fingers. "Wait a minute, yes we do!"

"Nope, your bear scare didn't count!"

"_WHAT?_" Jo said loudly, "what do you mean, didn't count?!"

"Well, if you'll recall when I explained the rules, you'll remember I specifically said you had to complete all the tasks _before_ leaving your campsite. Since you technically were on your way back here when you ran into the bear, that doesn't count! So, without those 70 points, you guys are short, and are thus disqualified, and are thus the big time _losers_!"

Team Alpha erupted into cheers.

"Phew! I thought I was a goner," Izzy sighed.

"We lucked out," Noah agreed quietly.

"Team Nuclear, decide who is getting the boot," Chris told them, "dinner is in an hour, and after that we'll hold the ceremony." With his bit said, he headed out. Team Alpha followed him, and it was just Team Nuclear standing at the entrance to Camp.

"Nice going, Jo," Duncan said.

"Me?" Jo repeated, incredulous, "how's this _my _fault?!"

"Uh, you were the one that said we needed to hunt bears in the morning!"

"Don't blame me," Jo protested, "we all forgot about that stupid rule."

"She's right," Gwen muttered, "we were stupid."

"I can't believe I had to wipe my butt with leaves," Duncan complained, "my ass is still scratched up!"

"Poor baby," Scott mocked, "back on the farm we had to use barbed wire!"

Duncan ignored him, "whatever, I'm going for a shower."

"Fine!" Jo snapped. The two stomped off in different directions, and Gwen and Scott soon headed out too.

Beardo and Sammy exchanged a look. "Uh, this is gonna be ugly." Beardo remarked.

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

"Alright, It's time to get strategic," Sammy says, "Gwen's plan will succeed!"

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Scott.)**

"It's really good for me if Duncan goes home," Scott tells the camera, "with him gone, it'll probably be a contest between me and Jo on who goes next, and thats a contest I can win." He winks at the camera, "after that, I expose Beardo for being a challenge weakling, and as long as I'm doing good in challenges, I should be able to squeak by. And hopefully we won't lose again before the merge." He smirks, "methinks I just wormed my way out of a tough spot. I continue to impress myself."

**(End Confessional: Scott.)**

* * *

Sammy walked up to the boys showers just as Duncan was about to head in. "Hey, Duncan," she called, "you got a second?"

Duncan stopped heading into the bathroom and looked over his shoulder. A little surprised to see Sammy there, he shrugged and headed over to her. "What's up?" He asked.

"Well, a couple of us were talking, and we're gonna vote _Jo_ off. She won't admit its her fault we lost, and maybe it isn't, but she is honestly just plain annoying."

Duncan pondered that for about one whole second. "Yeah, count me in."

Sammy beamed at him. "Great! Enjoy your shower!" She turned to leave.

"Thanks," Duncan said dryly, heading into the bathrooms.

As Sammy walked alone, she clasped her hands to her cheeks, which were a little flushed. "Wow," she said to herself as she walked, "being sneaky like that was…kind of fun!"

* * *

The seventeen teens were eating dinner in the Mess Hall when Chris walked in.

"Alright, Team Nuclear," he announced, giving said team finger guns, "time to boot someone! But first...Brick!"

Brick looked up from his meal, confused. "Yes?"

Chris held up his phone, "you had a phone call last night." He dialed a number and it began to ring. "Here ya go." He tossed the phone to Brick, who caught it.

"Alright then," Brick said, a little puzzled as he stood up and held the phone to his ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Brick McArthur." He walked past Chris out into the silence of the night, and his voice faded from earshot.

While this was going on, Sammy pulled Gwen aside as the Nuclears were getting up and heading out too.

"The plan is all set," Sammy whispered to the goth.

Gwen blinked, "it is?"

"Yup!" Sammy beamed at her, "I got Scott on board and Duncan thinks we're voting for Jo! Didn't I do great?!"

"Oh," Gwen said quickly, "actually, about that, maybe we should—"

"Sammy, Gwen, c'mon!" Came Chris's voice from outside.

"Later, we gotta go!" Sammy told her, jogging out to catch up with the others.

Gwen watched Sammy go and looked conflicted. "Guess it's too late," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She walked out to join the others.

The moon shone brightly as the six campers made their way towards the elimination ceremony. Crickets were chirping and the fire was merry. Chris positioned himself at his oil barrel and pulled a tray from behind his back. On it were just five marshmallows. "Team Nuclear, you guys made a fatal miscalculation and now one of you is going home. Who's it gonna be?" He paused to let the tension sink in.

The campers took a seat on the dilapidated stumps and looked expectantly up at the host.

"The first marshmallow of the night goes to…Gwen."

Gwen caught her marshmallow, trying her best not to look guilty.

"Also safe is…Beardo."

Beardo played a little victory tune as he caught his.

"Sammy!"

Sammy caught her marshmallow and smiled at Gwen, but the goth didn't return it.

"Three campers, two marshmallows," Chris said, looking between Duncan, Jo and Scott. Funnily enough, Jo was the only one that looked nervous. Scott and Duncan both looked pretty confident.

"The penultimate marshmallow goes to…

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Jo."

Jo breathed a sigh of relief as she caught her symbol of safety. On her right, Duncan straightened up, alarmed.

"Wait, what?" The punk asked. His head whipped to Sammy, who avoided his gaze. He turned to look at Scott, who gave him a wicked grin. Duncan gulped and faced Chris again.

"Scott, Duncan, this is the final marshmallow of the night. If you do not get it, you gotta get out. The last person safe tonight is…

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_Scott_!"

Scott smirked, catching his marshmallow. Duncan stood up, flabbergasted.

"No _way_!" Duncan spluttered, "how the hell am I eliminated?"

Chris gave him a weird look, "uh, cause you got three votes,dude."

Duncan turned to look at his ex-teammates. Scott was smirking at him, Beardo and Jo looked just as surprised as he did, and Sammy and Gwen were avoiding his gaze as if making eye contact with him would set them on fire. There was dead silence except for the occasional cricket chirp and pop of the fire.

"Gwen?" He finally asked, his tone hurt. Gwen scrunched her face up as if the word physically hurt her, but still refused to look at him. "Did you vote for me?"

Gwen's lack of answer was all he needed.

Duncan looked crestfallen. "No way…" he said, "I thought we were good! I thought we were-" he cut himself off, and anger was slowly beginning to take over the sadness.

Gwen finally found her voice. "Look, Duncan, it wasn't really what I wanted. I mean, yesterday I thought it was, but after talking at the fire, I wasn't sure and I—"

"Ooh, look at that," Chris interrupted, "we're outta time." An intern brought Duncan his duffel bag. "Time to go, D-man."

"Fine," Duncan spat, "screw you guys!" He hoisted his duffel bag over his shoulder and stomped down the Dock as the Boat of Losers pulled up, driven by Chef.

Gwen watched Duncan leave and wanted to call out to him. Wanted to explain herself. Tell him she felt bad about it already and would take it back if she could. But…she didn't.

Duncan stepped onto the Boat of Losers without looking back and it sped off into the night.

"Well, that was something," Chris smirked, "now, Team Nuclear, you're free to—"

"_Wait!_" A voice cried, coming from the direction of the Mess Hall. Footsteps were heard on the darkened path before a camper emerged into the firelight, panting from his mad sprint over to them.

"Brick?" Chris asked, "what's up?"

Brick tossed Chris his phone back. "I…" he panted, "I need to go! I need to leave the show!"

"Leave the show?" Jo asked, actual concern on her face for once. "Brick, is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Sammy added, "is there some kind of family emergency?"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Brick said, still panting a little, "It's great news! I…" he drew himself up, "I got accepted into _Meilleur Collège de Mode_!"

He was met with blank stares, and the cadet couldn't help but deflate a little.

"The university? In Paris?" He explained, "one of the most prestigious fashion schools on the planet?"

"Wait, you applied for fashion school?" Chris asked incredulously, "why'd you come back to Total Drama then?"

"This university has less than 3% acceptance rate," Brick told him, "I never thought in a million years I'd actually get in! It was one of the administrators of the school that called!"

"But it's summer," Scott pointed out, "classes don't start for another couple of months."

"I know," Brick said, practically radiating excitement, "the school said my application wasn't perfect, but with a few touch ups on some pre-requisites, I could enroll as a full time student come the fall."

Gwen seemed to realize what he was saying. "So, basically you need to get somewhere with internet so you can do some online classes before the fall semester."

Brick nodded. "Exactly."

Chris rubbed his chin, "Hmm…well I _guess_ I could allow it." He turned to Team Nuclear, "can you guys give me and Brick a minute? Go get Team Oddball so they can say goodbye," He turned to the intern that had brought Duncan's luggage, "and you, go pack up Brick's stuff."

Once everyone had left, Chris turned to Brick. "Y'know," The host told him, "you signed a contract. I _could_ choose to not let you leave." At Brick's nervous look, the host made a placating gesture with his hands, "_but_, I think that as long as you chill out at Playa Des Losers and make your Aftermath and finale cameos, you should be in the clear."

"Ooh, losers get to go to Playa Des Losers this year?" Brick said, a little excited.

"Yeah, but it's not common knowledge, which is why I sent the others away. They don't know about the Aftermaths either." Chris told him. "Anyways, like I was saying, I could deny you, but I won't…" hie smile grew a tad evil and he began to rub his hands together, "I won't…because I just had a _very_ good idea."

* * *

Chef whistled a tune as he drove the incensed Duncan to the Playa. Duncan had been swearing and kicking at empty boxes in the back of the Boat the entire way, and Chef was loving every second of it.

Suddenly, the walkie at Chef's belt buzzed to life.

"_This is Chris, Chef. Do you copy?"_

Chef removed the walkie and brought it up to his mouth. "Chef here, what's up?"

"_I need you to bring the Boat back. We've got another camper with a ticket for the Boat of Losers!"_

Chef looked a little confused, but didn't argue. "Copy that. On my way back." He jerked the steering wheel sharply to the side, and the Boat did a dangerous U-turn. Duncan, in the back, was thrown to the ground.

"Hey!" He barked as he got to his feet. "What's the big idea, Chef?"

"Chris says we gotta go back," Chef told him, "you're gonna have some _company_ on the way to Loserville!"

Duncan opened his mouth to complain, but was quickly silenced by a glare from Chef.

The boat sped back towards the mainland, where Chris and _all_ the campers were standing.

"I'm sorry to bail on my squad," Brick apologized to his team, "but I just can't pass this up."

"No worries, mate," Jasmine said kindly, "go chase your dreams!"

"Yeah, no hard feelings," Owen smiled, giving the cadet another incorrect salute. Brick winced at this, but didn't correct him. Instead, he returned it with a salute of his own.

"Well, you are bailing on me big time, but don't worry, I don't hold much of a grudge," Bridgette said lightly, and the two high-fived.

"Ugh. Why are we here, exactly?" Noah asked the host, but was ignored.

After giving Shawn a fist bump, Brick turned to Chris, backpack strapped and ready to roll.

"Alright then, the Boat of Losers awaits, Brick." Chris told him, who hadn't undone that slightly evil grin yet.

Brick nodded and, after one final wave to the others, walked down the Dock and boarded the Boat of Losers.

"What, did Chris do a double elimination or something?" Duncan asked sourly as the cadet joined him on the Boat.

"Negative," Brick told him, "I'm heading to fashion school."

Duncan looked truly surprised by this, "fashion school?" He repeated, "What the heck?"

"Oi!" Chris interrupted, cupping his hands and shouting down the Dock. "Duncan, why don't you come here a second!"

Duncan groaned. "Great, what does he want now?" He clambered off the Boat of Losers and walked back down the Dock towards Chris and the others. "What's up?" He asked, pointedly ignoring his teammates.

"Well, Duncan, here's the thing," Chris said, his evil smile growing like the Grinch's heart on Christmas Day, "this season didn't really account any _multiple eliminations_, so with Brick quitting, I'm in a bit of a predicament."

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "And…?"

"And…I'm undoing your elimination!"

Everyone gasped.

"Wait, seriously?" Duncan asked.

"Yup! Welcome back to the game!"

Duncan shrugged, "Cool, whatever," he said uncaringly. On the Boat of Losers, Chef tossed the punks luggage back onto the Dock.

"Wait," Jasmine complained, "so we just lost a member for no reason, and both of the other teams are at six a piece? How is _that_ fair?!"

"Why don't you just put me on Team Oddball?" Duncan offered, "Hell, I'd be _glad _to get away form my scumbag teammates." He glared at Team Nuclear.

"Yeah, I like that," Owen agreed, "let Duncan on our team!"

"I could do that," Chris considered it. Those that knew him knew, however, that the fact that his evil grin was still in place only meant bad news. "But _nah_!"

"No?" Duncan said, annoyed, "c'mon, it's a great solution!"

"Seriously! Just do it, man," Shawn argued.

"Nope! My game, my rules," Chris smirked, "Duncan is back on Team Nuclear. I just feel the team wouldn't be as…Nuclear-ly without him. Duncan, why don't you go say hi to your old teammies, eh?"

"You're a sick man, Mclean," Duncan spat, storming over to his old team.

"Welcome back?" Jo offered, and Duncan rolled his eyes.

Gwen mustered her courage up and stepped forward, looking Duncan in the face. "Duncan, look, let me explain."

"I don't wanna hear _squat_ from you, Gwen," Duncan snarled, finally letting his anger spike and getting in Gwen's face. Gwen looked taken aback and took a step backwards. "I can't _believe_ you went behind my back and convinced the others to kick me off."

Gwen crossed her arms, the very picture of defensiveness, "what makes you so sure it was me, huh?"

Duncan glared at her, a putrid mix of mockery and loathing, "Okay then. Was it _not_ you? Tell me to my face that you weren't the mastermind behind the elimination…_my_ elimination."

Gwen opened her mouth, prepared to lie, but found she couldn't do it. Her heart sank as she looked away. She couldn't remember ever feeling so ashamed.

"I thought not," Duncan snorted. He then turned to the others, who were all looking at the two with interest. "Hey, screw off you guys," he threatened them, "this doesn't concern you."

"Like hell, this is sha-juicy!" Lightning protested.

Forutnately for Duncan, Bridgette of all people was on his side.

"He's right, guys, this doesn't concern us," Bridgette said loudly. "C'mon let's go." She began to shoo the others away with little success. "Jasmine," the surfer implored, "a little help?"

Jasmine tore her eyes away from the drama and shook her head to clear it. "Oh. Yeah, of course." With the two of them, they were able to corral everyone back towards the Mess Hall.

Only the rest of Team Nuclear and Chris remained, but Duncan didn't seem to have a problem with that. Or, at least, didn't care anymore. His full focus was back on the ashamed and guilty Gwen.

"You rejected me. You have a boyfriend. That's fine, that's your call," Duncan told her harshly, "I have to pay for my mistakes when I was a dumb kid. That's life. That's fine." He took another step towards her, his arms crossed, "but what's _not_ fine is telling me we can be friends. Then we chat and have fun at the fire, and here I am, thinking things are going fine! Hell, I was excited at the thought of being friends again!" He forced the sadness out of his voice and kept a strong hold on the anger, "but no, turns out you were stringing me along and plotting behind my back to get me voted off. Like what the hell, are you Heather now or something?"

"Duncan, no, I can explain. You don't understand," Gwen pleaded.

"Oh I understand," Duncan said, looking Gwen dead in the face. "I understand _everything_, now. I understand…that you," he leaned into her face, "are a selfish _bitch_."

Gwen took a step back as if the words he said had physically struck her. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to slap the shit out of him or cry, so she did nothing but stare at him, thunderstruck.

His piece said, Duncan turned to the rest of his team. "I won't forget this," he vowed to them. "Maybe some of you didn't vote for me, whatever, I don't care. I'm gonna give my all to this team out of spite. You won't get another chance to kick me off." He turned around and stomped off towards the trailers.

Gwen stood still for a little while before hurrying off towards the bathrooms. Sammy rushed after her, and a reluctant Scott followed suit.

Jo and Beardo were left with Chris, and none of them really knew what to say. Even the host looked surprised by the intensity of the situation.

"Y'know, Chris," Jo finally said, "you might be a total jerkwad, but damn if you aren't good at stirring up the drama."

Chris shook himself out of his slight stupor and grinned at Jo and Beardo. "I _know_! I'm good, aren't I?" He turned to the camera. "Well, things here have certainly exploded, and it's not even episode three yet! What will come of all this drama? Who will get voted off next? Find out next time on Total! Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

Brick looked out over the water as they skimmed across the waves towards Playa Des Losers. An excited smile adorned his face and he couldnt' ever remember feeling so happy.

From the front, Chef called back to him. "Hey, soldier, if you become a famous clothes designer, can you pawn me some free swag?"

Brick raised an eyebrow at him, "I haven't even started fashion school and you're trying to leech off me? That's pretty lame, Chef."

Chef shrugged, "can't blame a guy for trying." He grinned darkly, "you're gonna have a rough time at the Playa though."

"Why's that?"

"Ohhoho," Chef chuckled darkly, "have fun being stuck with Anne Maria when she finds out you're going into fashion."

Brick paled and gulped, "uh-oh..."

"Yeah, uh-oh."

* * *

**Voting Confessionals:**

Beardo: Jo and I are voting for Scott. Just can't trust that guy.

Duncan: Jo's going down. That's what you get for messing with me!

Gwen: I...vote for Duncan. I don't know if this is what I want, but I think it might be what I need.

Jo: Duncan's annoying, but Slimy Scott is way more of a problem long-term.

Sammy: Wow, it's kind of exciting when a plan comes together! I vote for Duncan.

Scott: Excellent...bye bye Duncan!

* * *

**Votes: [All Null]**

_Duncan - 3 votes: (Gwen, Sammy, Scott)._

_Scott - 2 votes: (Beardo, Jo)._

_Jo - 1 vote: (Duncan)._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Sky, Rodney, Izzy, Noah.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Jo, Scott, Sammy, Beardo.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

_Now, I'm honestly not sure how this elimination will go over with you guys. Originally, Brick was going to be eliminated third, but he was pretty quickly moved to second boot. However, his initial reason for being kicked off was going to be him messing up in a different challenge, as this __challenge__ wasn't supposed to be the __second__ one. But, after some revising and tweaking, I came up with the camping challenge, which I just couldn't see Team Oddball losing. However, I still thought Brick needed to go here, and I knew i wanted to add some zest to the Gwuncan plot, so I cmae up with this: a voluntary, happy quitting situation. I tried to red-herring it as much as possible, and hopefully some of you were fooled right up until the Boat of Losers got called back, but I dunno. My readers tend to be pretty sharp. I like Brick, but there wasn't much for him to do, and he would've been next boot from his team [Spoiler Alert: his plan with Bridgette would've failed. No way Owen would vote for Jasmine over Brick.] _

* * *

**Okay! It's almost 5am but we're done! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I feel the post-elimination scene with Duncan returning was some of the better dramatic scenes I've written, but maybe that's just my tired brain thinking it's better than it is. I guess you guys are the judges.**

**SHIT. I just saw the word count and it's almost 14,000 words! Whoops...sorry guys.**

**\- Who's side are you on here? Team Duncan or Team Gwen? Was Duncan justified in his reaction? Or did he take it too far?**

**\- Will Zoey be able to eventually control her inner Commando?**

**\- Will Beardo actually do something?!**

**Please remember to review, they make my day. Love you guys. Ciao! **


	5. Duel of the Greats!

**Hey guys! Time for the next episode! Don't worry, this one won't be a two parter, though it might be a little lengthy. I'm really trying to write the best STORY I can, and not just have it be a methodic, episodic comp fic where it's just: Wake up, breakfast challenge, post challenge stuff, elimination, post elimination stuff. I really want to give most of the characters a good story and make you guys give a shit about their arcs! **

**As for the poll, I will reveal the top 3 choice who will definitely be in the peanut gallery because my God are they far ahead of the rest of the others. The first three are:**

**1st place in the poll: Courtney**

**2nd place in the poll: Geoff**

**3rd place in the poll: Dawn**

**HOWEVER: 7th-14th place are separated by only TWO votes! Remember, only 10 people get in, so make sure you are voting because that one vote might tip that person in to the peanut gallery! **

**Now, without further ado, let's get on with the show!**

* * *

The camera panned over the night sky. It lowered onto the elimination ceremony, where Chris had just left the shambles that were Team Nuclear. Only Beardo and Jo remained, as Gwen, Scott and Sammy had ran off. Duncan had stormed off as well, albeit in a different direction, and Jo and Beardo watched Chris leave before turning to look at each other.

"Should…should we go after them?" Beardo asked, looking at the way Sammy, Gwen and Scott had gone.

Jo, however, was looking the way Duncan had stormed off. She slapped Beardo on the back. "Nah, let Gwen sulk. We might be able to turn this whole situation in our favor. C'mon." She began to walk off towards the Rec Center, where Duncan had gone to. Beardo shot her retreating back a confused look, but ultimately followed her down the path after her.

Beardo mimicked a screeching car. "Hold the phone," he told Jo as he caught up to her, "are we going after _Duncan_?"

"Yup."

"Why? He was just a total jerk to Gwen!"

"Eh, Gwen had it coming," Jo said brusquely, "but that's not the point. The point is that they obviously hatched some sort of plan to get Duncan out."

"Them being…?"

"Gwen, Sammy and Scott, obviously!" Jo rolled her eyes, "Scott all but proved it when he went scurrying off after Gwen and Sammy just now. Normally he isn't that obvious. Maybe he's losing his touch…" The two approached the Rec Center and looked up at it. "What we need to do is get Duncan on our side to give us even numbers with them... otherwise the next time we lose, it's one of us going home."

"If by one of us, you mean Duncan, then sure," Beardo said.

Jo smacked the back of his head, making him wince, "_after_ Duncan, dipstick! They'll just pick off you and me! Me first, probably! We'll need to force a tie the next time we lose," They began to enter the Rec Center, "and if we get enough time, I might be able to convince Sammy that Scott's the bigger threat. We all know how slimy he is."

The two entered the Rec Center to see Duncan playing pool by himself, still scowling. He looked up at the noise of them entering and his scowl deepened. "Great," he said, "what do you two want?"

"Don't be so defensive, buddy-friend!" Jo chirped, her voice sickly sweet as she approached Duncan. Beardo shot the jockette a disturbed look. "We're just here to see how you're holding up, slugger-chief!"

"I'm fine," Duncan said, also looking disturbed at Jo's words. "Just leave me alone." Jo approached the pool table and picked up a cue and opened her mouth, but the delinquent interrupted her before she could say anything. "And stop with the gushy talk. It's creepy and disturbing."

Jo closed her mouth and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, "look. I bet you're pissed and I think if we can work together you can get even."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Duncan asked, not sounding particularly interested.

Beardo walked over to the couch and sat down, miming a falling tree as he did so.

"We didn't vote for you," Jo explained, bending down with the cue to smack a ball into the pocket.

"Wow, means so much," Duncan scoffed. "Want me to get down and kiss your shoes?"

"Stop being a jerk," Beardo said, a little annoyed by Duncan's attitude, "we're offering you a way out of being first boot from the team…again."

Both Jo and Duncan looked a little surprised by the beatboxers blunt words. "Whatever," Duncan said, "sure, I'll stick with you guys for now so there's equal numbers against the others. Then, Gwen and I can duke it out in the tiebreaker."

Jo slammed another ball into the pocket, "sounds good to me." She popped the final ball in. "Well that's all I came here for, smell ya later Duncan." She put the cue down and began walking towards the door.

From the couch, Beardo got up to join her. They left.

Duncan watched the door close, and once he was alone he let his anger fade and the sadness show.

* * *

**(Confessional: Beardo.)**

"I don't know if putting Gwen up against Duncan would be best for our game," Beardo admits, "Sammy would probably stand the least chance against Duncan. Duncan's probably going for Gwen though no matter what reasoning we put in front of him." He shakes his fluffy head, "that dude needs to chill."

**(End Confessional: Beardo.)**

* * *

Over in the bathrooms, Sammy and Scott were outside a stall which Gwen had locked herself in.

"Is it okay for me to be in here?" Scott whispered to Sammy, looking around, "this is the _girls_ bathroom."

Sammy shushed him with a hand, "it's fine!" She put her ear to the stall and knocked on the door gently. "Gwen? Come on out, you can talk to us!"

No response.

Sammy turned to glare at Scott. "Help me console her! She's obviously very upset!"

Scott looked very uncomfortable, "uh, consoling isn't really my _forte_…" Sammy gave him a disappointed look, and Scott sighed miserably. "Ugh, fine. Get out of my way." He walked over to the stall and rapped his knuckles on the door, much less gently than Sammy had. "There there, Gwen," he said, his dry voice not really conveying the proper emotion, "It's going to be okay. Don't cry."

The latch unlocked and the door flung open, smacking Scott in the face. "Ow!"

Gwen stood there, slightly annoyed. "I am _not_ crying." She told the bruised Scott. "I just feel like dirt."

Scott held his purple nose, "man, why is everyone trashing dirt today?!"

Sammy put a sympathetic hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Gwen. Duncan was way outta line."

Gwen sighed and leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on her butt. She brought her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms over them. Her face and tone were glum. "That's the thing," she told Sammy, "I don't think he was. I messed up."

Sammy settled her self on the bathroom floor next to Gwen. "Well if you messed up, I messed up even _bigger_. I'm the one that basically pulled that plan off. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Gwen said quickly, "you didn't know I was having second thoughts."

"Wait," Scott said as he sat down next to Sammy, "_you're_ the one that pulled off that little Duncan-boot?"

Sammy smiled, a little bashful, "yeah, kinda…"

Scott looked impressed, but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to Gwen. "Look, she's right. Duncan was out of line. He's coasted through in his past seasons, y'know? He's never gotten backstabbed or whatever. He just had a tantrum."

"It's different than that, though," Gwen said, "he and I have…history."

"I know," Scott shrugged, "but this is a game. You guys aren't dating anymore, so what does he have to be mad about?" He stood up and offered a hand to each of the girls. "Now c'mon, this floor is gross, and coming from me that's saying something."

The two girls grabbed a hand and Scott hoisted them to their feet.

"You're right," Sammy said with a smile at Scott, "let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's a new day. We can deal with Duncan then."

* * *

The next morning, Shawn and Jasmine were out early, going for a stroll in the morning woods.

"I wonder what happened last night with Team Nuclear," Shawn pondered, his hand entwined with Jasmine as they walked.

"I dunno," Jasmine told him, "I'm hoping if I see Sammy I can get the details from her." She frowned and sighed, "I can't believe we lost another teammate. We _won _the challenge."

"It's weird that Chris wouldn't put Duncan on our team," Shawn agreed, "but I mean, it's not like Brick wouldn't have been next if we lost," he gave Jasmine a curious look, "right?"

"Right," Jasmine admitted, "speaking of, what do you think the chances are Bridgette tries to get Owen to turn against us to force a tie next time we lose?"

Shawn thought about it for a second, then shrugged. "I dunno. He and I are friends, but so are he and Bridgette. I'm not too worried about it though, as I don't think there's much either of them could do in a tiebreaker to threaten us." He smiled at Jasmine, "we _are_ pretty kick-butt."

Jasmine chuckled and snorted, "that we are."

* * *

Lightning was running through the words, getting a nice pre-challenge workout done. He seemed to be at peace, and wasn't even breaking a sweat as he sprinted through the foliage. He paused beneath a tree and stopped to take in his surroundings. He then turned to the camera.

"Man, Lightning's in a sticky situation," Lightning told the camera, "he's not _that_ dumb. He knows that Shortie probably has a bit of a crush on Lightning," the jock shook his head, "but he's not sure he's ready for that kinda commitment, especially in a competition! Sure, she's cute and tough and pretty much everything Lightning looks for in a lady…but…" he shakes his head. "Lightning just doesn't think it's the right time. Hopefully she understands." He continues his run and breaks into a clearing, but stops when he sees two girls facing each other.

"Bring it on," Izzy cackled, "you haven't had anywhere near enough training to defeat me yet!"

"Don't underestimate me!" Zoey yelled from across the clearing. "This time will be different!"

Izzy stuck out her dominant hand and gestured the classic 'bring it'.

Zoey smirked, and assumed a defensive stance. "Oh I don't think so. You can have the honor or first strike."

Izzy obliged, and Lightning watched from the sidelines as the two girls began to duke it out. Neither girls as aware of the jock's presence.

It seemed Zoey had improved, because this time it was her that was slowly gaining ground and momentum on Izzy. Izzy went for a spinning round house kick, but Zoey ducked underneath it and swept Izzy's solo standing leg out from under her. The crazy girl was able to catch herself in a handstand, but left herself open to a palm strike, which she took right in the stomach.

"Sha-damn!" Lightning called out, unable to help himself. "Nice moves, girl!"

"What?" Startled, Zoey looked over to Lightning in surprise, which proved to be a costly mistake. It let Izzy recover and back away.

"Lightning, we're busy!" Zoey snapped to him, "get out of here!"

"Don't get distracted, Missy!" Izzy cackled, darting in and full-body tackling Zoey to the ground. Zoey struggled valiantly, but Izzy was an expert at holding people down. Exhausted and panting, Zoey finally gave in.

"Okay, okay, you win," the Indie Girl gasped, going still.

Izzy hopped off the girl and pulled her to her feet. "Better, but you still stuffer from one major weakness!"

Zoey put her hands on her knees, panting. She shot Lightning an annoyed look before returning her attention to Izzy, "oh yeah? What's that?"

"You get distracted! And once you knew there were people watching you, you became way too easy to overpower!" Izzy plopped down onto the ground and took up a zen mediation pose. Her voice dropped and became questionably stereotypical. "Zoey-san, in order to master duh-arts, you must first conquer your inner demons. Do not let others perception of you affect you." She bowed her head, and a gong rang.

Suddenly, Chris's voice was blasted all over camp. "Hey! Izzy. Stop being culturally insensitive!"

Izzy cackled and yelled to the sky, "Don't be a wuss, Chris! I was just quoting a movie!"

"Sure you were. Anyways, meet at the Mess Hall for a quick breakfast, because the challenge is starting soon!"

Izzy clapped her hands together. "Ooh, yay! Let's go, guys!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.)**

"Ugh," Zoey sighed. "Of course Lightning had to burst in an ruin my fight with Izzy. I know he probably didn't do it on purpose but…" she struggles for words, and finally lets out a grunt of frustration and smacks her knees with her hands. "He just _bothers_ me, okay?" She rests her elbow on her knees and puts her chin in her hands. "I just don't like him, and you know what? I think that's okay! I'm allowed to not like people!"

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

The sixteen campers were all finishing up their meals in the Mess Hall when Chris entered. "Good morning, campers!"

The first thing everyone noticed was that he was dressed in a very dorky suit. It was all black, with neon rainbow striped racing across it. It looked electronic, because the colors of the rainbow fluctuated.

"Nice suit," Rodney snickered.

Chris gave him the side eye, but didn't respond. "Okay guys, it's time for your next challenge. You ready to hear it?"

"Aw yeah, baby!" Owen hooted, "let's get going with it already!"

"All in good time, buddy," Chris told him patiently. "Now, before we get into the rules, I need you to head to your trailers. On your beds you'll find one of these bad boys," he gestured to the suit. "Put it on and meet back here in 5 minutes." He clapped his hands. "Go!"

"Outta my way, outta my way!" Jo barked, shoving past Noah and knocking the boy over into the table.

"My spine," the bookworm said dully, crumpled on the floor.

Rodney hoisted him to his feet and brushed him off roughly. "You'll be fine, eh, now let's get moving!"

The camera focused on the two boys as they headed towards their trailer. Once in, Rodney looked down at his bed. "Wow, I can't believe they got clothes big enough for me," He observed. "Normally I have to get all my clothes custom made!"

"_Fascinating_," Noah drawled, grabbing his suit and heading towards the door. "I'm gonna change in the bathroom."

Owen had no such reservations. He dropped his drawers and shredded his shirt with an excited whoop. "Yeah baby," he donned the suit in a flash, "time to kick some freakin' butt!"

Shawn too had no problem stripping to his boxers in front of the other males. Neither did Lightning. When the uber-jock noticed Beardo looking uncomfortable, he gave him an encouraging pat on the back. "Don't sweat it, big guy! It's just like a locker room!"

"I always hated locker rooms," Noah said snidely, opening the cabin door. He caught Beardo's eye and held the door. Beardo understood the way out he was being given and gave the egghead a grateful look as he walked out the door.

"Thanks for that," Beardo told Noah as the two walked to the bathrooms.

"No problem," Noah told him, "believe it or not, I get not wanting to strip to my skivvies in front of a bunch of dudes." His eyes pulled into a scowl, "_despite_ what all the rumors might still say."

Beardo looked a little surprised, "you mean the rumors about you being gay? Those still exist?" He made a crazy spring sound, "I mean, you kinda have a girlfriend!"

"Puh. Tell me about it. I guess I'm just still a little bitter," Noah said. The two arrived and entered the bathroom. They took a separate stall, but continued to talk. "Life was pretty tough after that ear kiss," Noah continued as he tossed his sweater-vest over the stall.

"Yeah, I know all about being teased," Beardo said, "me and my girlfriend back home ain't exactly the most popular."

"Oh? Why's that?" Noah asked.

"I come from a pretty 'hood' area," Beardo said, pulling on the suit. He started beatboxing a heavy rap beat as if to emphasize. "My girlfriend is an upper-middle class white girl. You can connect the dots from there."

Noah winced in sympathy, though Beardo couldn't see it. "Yikes."

Beardo chuckled, "yeah, pretty much sums it up."

The two exited the stalls at the same time, clad in the suits, and headed out. Their clothes were left hanging on the stall to be collected later after the challenge.

"Here's a piece of advice," Noah offered, "if there's one thing I've learned being the youngest of nine siblings in a strict household, it's that you can't give a damn what other people think. Do what makes you happy."

Beardo smiled slightly as the Mess Hall came into view. "I know. I have no friends back home and spend pretty much all my time alone since Rebecca and I do long-distance, but she," he sighs happily, "she makes it worth it."

The two entered the Mess Hall. Since they were the last ones in, Chris clapped his hands together as they sat.

"Alright," the host with the most said excitedly, "now that you're all dressed for the occasion, it's time to give you guys your weapons!"

Jo grinned, "come again?"

Chris pulled out a metal rod about eight inches long. On it was a big red button.

Jo's grin faded slightly, "that doesn't look like much of a weapon…" she put a hand under her chin thoughtfully, "I guess if you smash someone enough with it."

"Take it easy, Morning Breath," Chris told her, pressing the big red button.

With an epic noise, a cylindrical beam of light appeared out of one end of the rod. It was bright orange and extended about three feet.

"No way!" Sky gasped, "is that a light-"

"This!" Chris interrupted quickly, "is a _laser sword._"

"Uh, earth to Chris, lightsabers aren't real." Scott said with a roll of his eyes.

"This _laser sword_," Chris emphasized, "is a hundred percent fully functional…if you're wearing one of these fancy suits!" All he received were blank looks, so he decided to elaborate. "Owen my man, if you wouldn't mind coming up here!"

Owen nervously stood up and headed towards the host, eyeing the laser sword with apprehension.

"If hit with the laser sword while wearing one of these suits, you will experience complete numbness in the affected area. Observe." Chris swung the laser sword at Owen's legs. The light passed right through the fat boy as if he weren't even there, but Owen's legs wobbled and he collapsed to the ground. Notably, the black and rainbow stripes of the suit turned white where the affected area was.

"My legs!" Owen screamed, "they're gone! The pain! Oh my god no, the pain!"

All the campers gasped and looked on in horror. Chris, however, was unamused. "Owen, there's no pain. You can't feel your legs because the special suit you have on has weighed them down to the point where you can't use them. See?" He pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The whiteness on Owen's suit turned back to it's normal black and rainbow stripes and Owen sprung to his feet, looking like a million bucks.

"I can walk again?" he gasped, "I can _walk again! _It's a miracle! Oh _thank you_, kind host!" He threw himself on Chris, who sidestepped out of the way. Owen tripped over a chair and bit the floor.

"Back to your seat, Owen," Chris said as if nothing had happened. "Now, Team Nuclear, you guys get these orange blades." He pulled out five other metal rods, deactivated the one he was holding, and began tossing them to the members of team Nuclear.

"Oddballs, you get purple ones." Bridgette, Owen, Shawn and Jasmine all received laser swords as well.

"And finally Team Alpha gets gold ones!"

"Aw yeah, baby!" Lightning cheered, activating his sword and swinging it around carelessly.

Zoey ducked under a careless strike and glared at the jock. "Watch it, Lightning! You could hurt one of us!"

"Don't worry, Zoey," Chris told her, "friendly fire is disabled. Hear that, Duncan?"

Duncan rolled his eyes and chose not to respond.

"Now, let's move onto the actual rules of the challenge. You all will head into the woods, _alone_. You might be in teams, but this is a _solo challenge_. If you run into someone in your team, you must immediately separate. No talking, no contact, no NOTHING. If this rule is judged to be broken there will be harsh penalties for the offending team."

"So how do we win already?" Sky asked, impatient.

"You win by being the last team standing. Hunt down each other and duel with your laser swords. When you're deemed too damaged to continue, the suit will shut down and you will be dragged to the floor."

"How much damage is too damaged to continue?" Jasmine asked.

"A straight blow to the chest or body will be probably enough," Chris told them, "you can probably get by with a limb or two gone, though you'll be severely handicapped. Also, you cannot leave the woods. If no team has won by sundown, the team with the least amount of players will send someone home. If there's _still_ a tie then, then any team with the lowest numbers will be sending someone home!"

"You're bluffing," Izzy cackled, "no way you're sending three of us home at once!"

"We don't want to," Chris assured her, "but we also really don't want any sort of tie. We'll do it if it has to be done, but ultimately it's up to you guys. I wouldn't recommend hiding, or you might incur the wrath of your teammates for sending you all to an unneeded elimination ceremony."

Silence settled over the campers at this.

* * *

**(Confessional: Chris.)**

Chris smirks, "who needs ridiculously dangerous challenges when you can terrify the pants off of them with cold, unmoving logic?" He laughs loudly.

**(End Confessional: Chris.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn & Jasmine) **

Shawn and Jasmine are sitting next to each other, both looking confident.

"This challenge was _made_ for us!" Jasmine boasts.

Shawn smirks, "yeah, the other teams don't stand a chance!"

The two high-five.

**(End Confessional: Shawn & Jasmine.)**

* * *

"Now, does anyone have any questions?" Chris asked.

No one did.

"Alright, head into the woods. Fifteen minutes from now, you'll hear a gong ring. That's when you can start dueling. Remember, you _have_ to be alone and stay alone!"

Bridgette gulped.

"Now get moving!"

The campers all ran out the Mess Hall, laser swords activated, and began scattering into the woods.

Chris walked to the doors of the Mess Hall and watched them go. "This is gonna be good," he chuckled to Chef as the cook joined him. "Almost wished I had put Duncan on the Oddballs to duke it out."

"Seems like a missed opportunity," Chef agreed, "but I'm sure you have your reasons."

"Oh believe me, I do."

* * *

Bridgette crept along through the forest. The sun shone brightly down and the woods really didn't seem all that spooky, but the surfer girl still looked uneasy.

"My fear of being alone in the woods has settled slightly since I was a kid," Bridgette explained to the camera, "but I still can't help but worry that some bear of Sasquatch is gonna leap out and pulverize me."

As if on cue, a bush beside her rustled. Bridgette yelped and backed up, but the culprit quickly revealed herself.

"Whoa, easy Bridgette!" Gwen said, stepping out of the foliage with a wry smile. "It's just me."

Bridgette smacked her hand to her forehead, "Jeez, Gwen! You scared me!" She seemed to realize they were on opposite teams and quickly leveled her laser sword, "guess we gotta duke it out, huh?"

"I don't think so, actually," Gwen said, "the fifteen minutes aren't up yet."

Bridgette blinked. "Oh, yeah." She lowered her sword and deactivated it. "Hey, how're you holding up by the way?"

Gwen shrugged half-heartedly, "I've been better. Last night was tough."

Bridgette put a sympathetic hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Wanna talk about it?"

"_Attention campers! The fifteen minutes is now up! You may begin pulverizing each other!" _

Gwen looked up at the voice and then back at Bridgette, her wry smile returning. "Y'know, I actually think that would help. I've already chatted with some of my teammates about it, but they don't go way back like we do. First, though…" she ignited her laser sword and swished it around. "I think we have a fight to begin."

Bridgette smirked and ignited her sword too. "Alright then. After the challenge? The Rec Center?"

"Sounds like a plan," Gwen said, lunging forward.

Bridgette intercepted the goth's broad overhead slice with her own blade, and sparks showered around them. Bridgette pushed the goth back, surprising her slightly, and slide out in a wide arc. Gwen only just managed to duck, and the blade passed through her hair.

"You've gotten strong," Gwen observed.

Bridgette smirked, "Professional Surfing keeps you in pretty good shape. Good enough shape to take you down!"

"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?" Gwen joked.

The two began to duel in earnest, with no time for quips or snarky remarks. Gwen had more technical skill and dexterity, and Bridgette edged it out in brute strength. They fought for a couple minutes until Gwen struck the first blow. Her Orange blade sliced through Bridgette's dominant elbow, and the suit turned white from the elbow down to her wrist. Bridgette's laser sword clattered to the ground and shut off.

"Crap!" Bridgette dove for her sword, but tripped and fell onto the ground.

Gwen stood over her triumphantly, "You may have gotten stronger, but it looks like you're yet to stop being so clumsy."

Bridgette gave her a good-natured glare. "Do what you must."

Gwen pushed the tip of the laser sword through Bridgette's chest and the entire suit turned white. Her body thumped to the ground completely.

"Good fight," Gwen told her, bending down and patting the surfer on the shoulder. "We'll talk later, okay?"

"Sounds good!" Bridgette said. Gwen walked off and the surfer seemed to realize she was alone again…immobile. She gulped. "Oh, crap!"

* * *

Rodney thumped though the woods, being about as subtle as dump truck.

So far, he thought his time on the island had been going pretty well. Much better than Pahkitew, at least. He's been able to keep his crushes under control, and was contributing to his team, which was very strong. If he could just keep his head down and not attract too much unwanted attention, he might have a good shot at making the merge.

He also had a strategy for this challenge. He was a big guy, so speed was definitely not his forte. If possible, he was going to use his massive reach and physical prowess to literally push people away and daze them. He wasn't sure if it was against the rules, but he figured if Chris didn't explicitly say he couldn't do it, he probably didn't care.

He continued walking for a little while longer before noticing his shoelace was untied. He bent down to tie it just as a purple laser sword whistled above his head.

Shawn, who had just swung by on a vine, gave a disgruntled sigh and disembarked, shoulder rolling onto the ground. "Man you are _lucky_!" The zombie boy complained, "half a second later and you would've been zombie chow!"

Rodney pulled his laser sword and ignited it, the shimmery blade casting a golden light on the farm boy's face. "Shawn," he said, a little nervous, "not exactly the person I wanted to run into."

Shawn smirked at the compliment. "Just don't take what's about to happen personally, okay big guy? We can't afford to lose another member."

"And don't think I'm gonna be a pushover," Rodney said, beginning to lumber towards Shawn, "if anything, I'll push _you _over!" He reached out with his empty hand instead of his sword hand, taking Shawn off guard.

Shawn was fast, though, and his laser sword sliced right through Rodney's arm at the elbow. Unfortunately for Shawn, it wasn't a real lightsaber, so Rodney's arm was still very much attached, and the numb appendage smacked him right in the chest. "Ow!" Shawn was thrown back a couple feet and sprawled in the dirt.

Rodney hefted his sword with a grin, "guess brawn beats brains this time, Shawn!"

Shawn, from his place on the ground, could only point down at Rodney's feet. "Your shoe's untied, bro."

"Huh? I know." Rodney looked down, which proved to be a very costly mistake. Quick as a flash, Shawn grabbed his laser sword and, still on the ground, hurled it like a javelin at Rodney. It sailed straight and true, nailing Rodney in the face. His entire suit whited and he crashed to the ground, nearly unearthing a nearby sapling.

Rodney swore. "Damn! Nice play, Shawn! I'm such an idiot…"

Shawn got to his feet and dusted off his orange vest. "Don't sweat it, man. I took a gamble with that throw. If I missed, I was toast. You pack a serious punch."

With that, he left the crumpled farm boy behind.

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.)**

Shawn crosses his arms and shoots the camera a stern look. "Not only can we not afford to lose another player, but there's no _way_ I'm gonna be stuck in the woods and not be able to move! You might as well stick a little sign on me that says 'Zombie all you can eat buffet!' Hah, no thanks!"

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

"I really had to run into you?" Noah sighed, looking at the sadistic Jo with annoyance.

"Sorry string bean," Jo said, not sounding very sorry at all. "If you wanna just get down into a comfortable position, it might save you some achy bones."

Noah ignited his sword, "nice try. I'm not gonna completely give up. I'm just gonna do really bad and then complain a lot."

"Hey, it's your funeral."

And that it was. Noah was able to parry Jo's first swing, but the jockette kicked dirt in his eyes and sliced him across the neck while he was coughing. The bookworm his the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"That was a cheap shot!" Noah whined, spitting dirt out of his mouth.

"Oh please," Jo put her foot on his chest like he was some kind of game trophy, "I just accelerated the inevitable."

A twig snapped, and Jo whirled around just in time to intercept Sky's laser sword with her own. Gold and orange sparks shattered the peaceful air.

Sky, wasting no time, pulled her sword back and went low, aiming for a leg gash. She had to back out of the strike when Jo spun the sword in her hand and stabbed downward, gripping the blade like a dagger.

Sky backflipped out of reach as Jo flipped the sword back into it's rightful position and swung out in a wide arc, her movements as fluid as water.

"Y'know, for someone with such an abrasive personality, you're actually pretty graceful." Sky noted.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Jo told her.

"Ugh," Noah said from the ground, "Chris was right, you _do_ have morning breath."

Jo glared down at the bookworm. "Shut up! I do not have morning-whoa!" She suddenly became completely numb and hit the ground, landing right on top of Noah.

Sky stood over them, twirling her laser sword. "Don't let yourself get distracted," she chided.

Jo looked like she couldn't decide whether to be impressed or enraged. "You…you're fast." She finally grumbled. "You also suck."

Sky smiled appreciatively, making a mental note to thank Noah later for the distraction, and left the two bodies.

"You are such a loser, by the way." Jo told Noah, who was still crunched underneath her. "You get your butt kicked by me and then distract me to get me taken down? Who's got the low blows now?"

Noah tried to respond, but since his face was mashed into the dirt with Jo on top of him, it just came out as a muffle "Blerrrmph."

* * *

Duncan had briefly bumped into Sammy, but the two had ignored each other and quickly went in opposite directions. He had heard some fighting nearby, but couldn't be bothered to investigate. The truth was, despite his ranting last night, his heart wasn't really in the game anymore.

He had come back to try and make things right with Gwen. It had stunk when she told him she wasn't into him anymore, but he understood it and respected it. He was fine with just being friends. Really, he was. But, looking back, Gwen had seemed like she was only saying it to make him feel better, as if she truly didn't want anything to do with him. He didn't want to believe it, though.

Then things started to look up. They were joking around, and things were almost like old times. The doubt had faded from his mind, and he believed they really could be friends.

Until he was voted out.

Duncan cursed under his breath, but it lacked it's usual venom. It would've been one thing if Gwen had told him straight off the bat that she really didn't seem them being friends. It would've crushed him, but at least he could respect honesty. This betrayal left a bad taste in his mouth for one reason, and it was a reason he didn't want to admit.

It was just so…_Courtney_ of her. He could easily picture Courtney in place of Gwen, manipulating him and being nice to him while scheming to get him eliminated as soon as possible. The initial thing that had attracted him to Gwen was how much of a straight shooter she was, so this betrayal just hurt him all the more.

He swore again.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Duncan looked up to see Izzy perched in a tree.

"Not really," Duncan said, igniting his orange blade.

Izzy remained up in the tree. "Izzy heard what happened at the campfire last night. She came back and eavesdropped."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Are we going to fight or not?"

Izzy didn't move. "Izzy thinks you need to apologize."

"I don't need advice from a psycho like you," Duncan snapped, his temper flaring, "now are we going to fight or what?"

Izzy shook her head. "Nope." She began climbing higher into the tree. "You're about to have your hands full. Good luck!" With that, she disappeared into the leaves.

Duncan watched the spot where she had left, gnashing his teeth. "What the hell did she mean by having my hands full?"

A voice spoke behind him. "I reckon she was talking about me."

Duncan turned to see Jasmine standing, sword blazing, twenty yards away.

"Great," Duncan grumbled, swirling his sword through the air. "Screw it!" He charged the hulking Australian and brought down a deadly, whistling strike towards her neck.

Jasmine intercepted and pivoted, spinning around Duncan and getting behind the punk in one fluid motion. Duncan's eyes widened as Jasmine hefted her sword and swung at his unprotected back.

But Duncan wasn't one to be taken out so easily. Half gambling, half approximating, Duncan thrust his sword arm behind his back blindly, hoping to intercept the blade. It worked, and the sparks showered both of them.

"Nice move," Jasmine told the punk, separating the swords and shoving Duncan off balance with her shoulder.

Duncan stumbled back but kept his footing. He took a more defensive stance, not wanting to get countered so brutally again. "C'mon then, you big Ozzie chicken," he taunted, "or can you only play defense?"

Jasmine snorted, not rising to Duncan's bait. "You're gonna have to do better than that for trash talk, mate. That's some first grade stuff."

Duncan laughed, keeping his cool as well. "Whatever, you psycho giantess. You gonna attack or not?"

Jasmine shrugged, "guess I could," and lunged at the punk. Her reach far outclassed his with her toned, ebony arms and Duncan found himself giving ground up again and again.

"If it's any consolation," Jasmine offered as she slashed at the punk, "it's not that you're bad at this…I'm just better!" She finally cornered the punk.

"If I'm going down, you're coming with me!" Duncan said, making a last ditch, full bodied lunge at the Australian.

Jasmine's sword pierced his chest, but the momentum of Duncan's body kept his sword falling towards her. It pierced through the shoulder of her sword arm, and she dropped her sword.

Duncan, who was now in a heap on the ground, was facing away from Jasmine. "Did it work?" He asked curiously, unable to turn and see for himself.

"Well, you severed my sword arm," Jasmine said, "but I'm still kicking."

"Damn," Duncan sighed.

"You got balls, mate. I'll give you that."

"And don't you forget it!" Even Duncan knew it sounded weak.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and bent down to pick up her sword with her non-dominant hand. She left.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

"That fight should've been much tougher than it was," Jasmine confessed, "I think Duncan's still reeling from whatever happened last night." She pounds her fist into her palm. "I've _got_ to talk to Sammy after the challenge and figure out what happened!"

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

Scott and Owen were currently in the middle of a duel. At the beginning of the fight, Scott was fairly confident he had just secured himself an easy elimination. Five minutes and a numb leg later, Scott was thinking he had underestimated the fat boy.

Owen, while a little sweaty, was uninjured. Scott wobbled on his lone good leg, desperately slashing and hacking in Owen's direction in an increasingly futile effort to keep the boy at bay.

"The Naturalist-turned-Predator observes the wounded prey in front of him," Owen said grimly, keeping his distance. "This newfound Predator knows that it is only a matter of time before the prey collapses." He bent down and picked up a small pebble. With a quick flick, the pebble sailed forward and nailed Scott on the nose, and that was all it took to send the farm boy tumbling to the ground. His laser sword flew from his hand, and Scott was left defenseless.

"C'mon," Scott whined as Owen approached him.

"The Predator knows that the prey is in his final moments," Owen began to narrate, but he was quickly cut off by Scott.

"For the love of Dirt," Scott whined, "just put me out of my misery! Enough with the bizarre narration!"

Owen blinked. "Whatever you say, dude." He brought his laser sword down in a vicious slash.

Alarms begin to blare, scaring the crap out of the two boys. Owen looked around, startled, but couldn't tell where the noise was coming from.

The alarm noises masked the rustle of bushes as Beardo emerged, sword ignited. He struck at Owen, who turned around just in time to slash Beardo in the gut. Both boys hit the dirt.

"Wow! Nice play, man!" Owen said amiably.

Beardo grinned, "thanks, man."

* * *

Shawn and Izzy were in the midst of a ferocious duel. They had been fighting for quite a while, but both looked unbothered.

"You're good," Izzy said.

"So are you," Shawn conceded.

"I'm better."

Shawn parried her strike and slashed at her head, but missed. "Nope."

"Yup."

"Nope."

"Yup."

"Nope."

"Yup."

Each word was met with a parry of their swords.

"Nope."

"Yup."

"Nope."

"Yup."

"Yup."

"Nope!"

Shawn grinned, "nope, you say? I'm glad we agree!"

Izzy gasped. "You did _not_ just Bugs Bunny me!" She threw down her sword instantly and fell to her knees. "I have been outplayed. I accept defeat." She bowed her head, "every warrior knows that getting Bugs Bunny'd is a one hit-KO."

Shawn sliced through her neck. "Glad we can agree on that one too."

* * *

Lightning was winning the fight, but that wasn't too surprising given Jasmine was forced to use her non-dominant hand. He was gaining ground quickly, so Jasmine had to think of something.

Lightning wasn't giving her time to think, though. He whirled and swung and thrashed his sword, a blinding swirl of gold.

Jasmine took a deep breath, calming herself. She needed to find an opening. Sensing one, she jabbed her sword into the flurry of limbs that was Lightning, but he parried it easily and sliced her other shoulder, and her sword dropped to the earth.

"Crap," Jasmine said as Lightning shoved his laser sword through her neck. She hit the ground.

"Aw yeah, don't tussle with the Lightning!" Lightning smirked, "Sha-Victory! You just got…Hey!"

An orange blade protruded from his chest, and he frowned down at it. He dropped to the ground.

Sammy cheekily peeked down at him. "Sorry Lighting, I just couldn't help myself…you were…HEY!"

A gold blade sprouted through her chest too, and she slumped.

"Sorry Sammy," Sky apologized, "Nothing personal." Her eyes widened. "Hey!"

She slumped to the ground too, and Gwen stood over her, grinning.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Jasmine blinked.

"A chain of cutthroatness," Sky pouted. "Darn it, Gwen!"

Gwen swung her sword around, "That's a pile of bodies," she observed, her tone snarky, "anyway, who's left?"

Zoey leapt out of the trees, landing gracefully and igniting her sword. She painted quite the intimidating picture, wreathed in gold light from her own sword.

Shawn too emerged from the trees, albeit on the opposite side of the clearing as Zoey. The sun beat down on them.

Gwen looked between Zoey and Shawn.

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"I didn't like my odds against either Zoey _or_ Shawn," Gwen admits, "so I decided that teaming up with one against the other might be my best shot, and then I could backstab my ally."

The Confessional door opens and Chris sticks his head in. "Gwennyth! You should be ashamed! That is so sneaky and low. Maybe Duncan was right, you _are_ the new Heather!"

"Shut up, Chris!" Gwen snapped, and Chris runs out of the Confessional, giggling like a schoolboy.

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

Gwen locked eyes with Zoey, and the goth shot her shot.

"I'm thinking Shawn's gonna be a pretty tough person to beat. What say we take their team down another player?"

Zoey smiled, "Sounds good to me, girl."

The two turned their swords towards Shawn. To the zombie boy's credit, he only looked alarmed for a second before his face set back into steely resolve. He whirled his purple blade around, eventually settling in the classic "bring it" kung fu pose.

Gwen and Zoey charged.

Any who thought it would be a quick battle was quickly proven wrong. Shawn slipped past Gwen's first attack and charged Zoey before she could get her own attack off. The redhead was quick enough to parry, but she was caught off guard.

Shawn moved in for the figurative kill, but a whistling from behind him told him that Gwen had turned and swung again. He crouched, and Gwen's horizontal swing almost cut Zoey, who had to leap back to avoid it. Without missing a beat, Shawn leapt up and did a 180, sending not his sword, but a flying kick at the surprised Gwen. She caught it on the handle of her blade, absorbing most of the shock, but was sent stumbling back.

Shawn recovered his breath, his eyes darting between the two girls.

"You're good, Shawn," Zoey confessed, also recovering. Behind her, Gwen scrambled to her feet. "Real good."

Shawn didn't respond, instead opting to go on the offensive.

Bodies twirled and twisted. Swords swirled and hacked. Sparks flew everywhere, but the girls couldn't touch Shawn. He ducked under Zoey's swing and parried Gwen's at the same time, before sweeping Zoey's legs out from under her and stabbing downwards. The blade would've gone right through Zoey's chest, but Gwen intercepted just in time.

Shawn grunted in annoyance, slowly beginning to overpower the goth. That was all the time Zoey needed to recover, though. "Now!" Zoey shouted.

Gwen ducked, and Zoey leapt at Shawn with blinding speed. Her blade was two feet from his surprised face. One foot. Six inches.

Sparks flew. Zoey hadn't been fast enough, and Shawn had been able to block the blade from entering his chest, though he did lose his non-dominant arm in the process.

"Playtimes over!" Shawn snarled, kicking at Zoey's wrist. Zoey's sword clattered to the ground and Shawn swung at her midriff.

More sparks. Once again, Gwen had managed to parry the blade.

Zoey backed off to retrieve her sword, and Gwen went full offensive on the survivalist. She was outmatched, though, and Shawn was done playing around. In the time it took for Zoey to retrieve her sword, Shawn had parried Gwen's strike, knocked her sword from her grip with another well placed kick, and slid between her legs, drawing his sword up in a high vertical jab as he did. The blade passed from crotch to neck through Gwen, and the goth hit the dirt.

Zoey turned, her sword back in hand. Shawn hadn't missed a beat, and used the momentum from his slide to hurl himself at Zoey. He had been a little too aggressive, though, and Zoey was fast enough to block and counter. Shawn cursed as her blade sliced his last remaining arm, and his sword clattered to the ground.

Zoey took a step back, breathing heavily. Shawn had no more arms to use, he was unarmed literally and figuratively.

"Good fight, Shawn." She smiled.

Shawn still had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Much to Zoey's confusion, he turned and kicked his dropped sword away from them. The blade sailed end over end and landed in the grass twenty yards away. Without pause, he turned and sprinted toward it.

"Hey! Get back here!" Zoey called, beginning to sprint after the nut.

Shawn, his face tight with concentration, approached his fallen blade and dug his foot under it. He lifted it up with his foot and it flew into the air. Taking a deep breath, he let out a warrior cry and jumped. He spun his body in the air, crashing his foot into the metal handle and spin kicking the sword right towards the still sprinting Zoey.

Zoey, in mid run, was too surprised to do anything, and could only collapse as the blade sliced her midriff. "No way!"

All the suits unlocked, and everyone could move again.

"Let's freakin' _GO_, man!" Shawn howled, pumping his fist in victory. He was quickly glomped by Jasmine, who planted a big wet kiss on his lips.

"Holy crap, Shawn, that's just unfair," Sky shook her head, a bittersweet smile on her face.

"Team Oddball wins the challenge!" Chris announced, "team Alpha gets not first, not last purgatory, and Team Nuclear is sending someone home. But first, I need you guys to meet me back at the Mess Hall."

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.)**

Zoey looks disappointed, "man! What a move by Shawn!" Her disappointment melts off her face, "we didn't lose though, so I guess its not a total loss!"

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine fans herself with her hat, "Oh man," she says dreamily, "what a guy…"

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.)**

Shawn's face is covered in kiss marks. "Yeah, that felt pretty good." He pulls out a mirror and looks at the kiss marks. "I just wish these were all from Jasmine. Owen was pretty stoked we won too." He gives the camera a look.

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

The campers were back at the Mess Hall with Chris. "Team Nuclear, you are today's losers."

Gwen and Duncan looked especially sullen at this.

"Now, given the…_unique_ events of last night, I've decided to implement a little twist!"

"Oh great," Jo grumbled.

"One of you will have the chance to win immunity!"

Duncan and Gwen looked up at this, while the rest of the members of the team, i.e. the ones that weren't on the chopping block, looked nervous.

"What, c'mon!" Scott complained, "why only now are you doing this?"

"Because I can, Scott," The host said calmly, "I call these Post-Challenge-Prizes, or PCP for short. They'll happen here and there throughout the season, and the prizes you can win won't always be immunity. It might be material goods, or a phone call home. You get the idea."

"Or an all-you-can-buy pass at the Tuck Shoppe!" Owen drooled.

"Be warned," Chris said solemnly, "there is also a _negative_ consequence to winning this power."

"I'll take whatever consequence there is," Duncan said, "as long as I'm safe. What's the challenge?"

Chris pointed to the Mess Hall. "You're all in your suits. It's a free for all. Last one standing wins. Team Alpha and Oddball, you guys wait outside on this one."

The six Nuclear's leapt away from each other as the other teens left.

"When does it start?" Jo snarled.

"About thirty seconds ago," Chris smirked.

Duncan reacted fastest, sprinting forward and taking out Beardo, who had been too busy watching Scott.

Meanwhile, Jo and Gwen began engaging in a heated duel, and Scott and Duncan began to brawl as well.

Gwen, tired from her previous fight with Shawn and already at a physical disadvantage, found herself overwhelmed and defeated fairly quickly.

Scott vs Duncan was a little more even, but it was clear Duncan wanted it more. After a vicious slash sent Scott's sword tumbling away, the punk put him out of his misery.

Jo and Duncan turned on each other, snarling.

"Remember what we talked about?" Duncan said, pointing his sword accusingly at the jockette, "Let me have this!"

"No way," Jo snapped, "our deal still stands, but if you win, that target gets shifted to _me_, and I can't have that."

Duncan ground his teeth, but couldn't fault her logic. "Fine. Best swordsman wins?"

"Don't mind if I do."

Sparks flew. Jo had the edge physically, but Duncan was playing dirty. Really dirty. Like, kick a chair into the stomach of your opponent dirty.

Jo collapsed on the ground, coughing and hacking. "You little cheat!" She grumbled, "that hurt!"

Duncan brought his sword down on the jockette, but she parried just in time. He kicked her sword out of her hand, ignoring the numbness of the leg, and put her out of her misery too.

"Sorry," he said, "that was dirty even for me, but I need this. I need it bad." He turned to Chris. "So, I'm safe, right?"

"Not exactly," came a voice right behind him. Sammy's blade protruded through Duncan's chest, and he collapsed.

"Sammy wins immunity tonight!" Chris announced as all the suits came back online, allowing the members of Team Nuclear to move again.

"Ugh! Shit!" Duncan yelled, pounding his fist on the table. He whirled on Jo. "I thought you took her down?!"

"I thought you did!" Jo protested.

Scott clapped Sammy on the back. "Nice going!"

Chris scowled, "um, I wasn't finished! Sammy win's immunity from tonight's vote…but she also _cannot_ vote!"

The news settled over them. Gwen was the first to realize what this meant, and she gasped. Scott blanched from next to Sammy, who had covered her mouth with her hands.

Jo started laughing, and Duncan relaxed. Only Beardo looked confused.

"Uh," he asked the punk, "what does that mean, exactly?"

"It mean's it's now me, you and Jo versus just Scott and Gwen in the voting." Duncan said, a smirk beginning to form on his face. "In other words…we win."

The other campers came back in and began to settle down for lunch.

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

Sammy buries her head in her hands. "First I jump the gun on the Duncan plan, now I screw over Gwen! I'm a horrible friend!" She begins to sob.

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

Gwen looks nauseous, but also determined. "It will _not_ end like this," she says, but it sounds like she's trying to convince herself.

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Scott.)**

Scott sighs, "looks like Gwen's screwed. The votes were _supposed_ to be 3-3 with me, Gwen and Sammy voting for Duncan, and Jo, Beard and Duncan presumably voting for Gwen. Now that Sammy can't vote, it's going to be a 2-3." He shakes his head, "but if it has to be one of us, I'm glad it's Gwen." He's silent for a moment before flushing slightly. "Not because Sammy's _pretty_ or anything. Cause she's _not_." His flush intensifies, and he flees the Confessional.

**(End Confessional: Scott.)**

* * *

Some hours later, Duncan was walking towards the bathrooms. The sun was beginning it's descent. He entered and did his business. He had just stepped out, meaning to head to the Rec Center to play Owen in a game of pool when a teal blur slammed into him, pushing him back into the bathroom.

"What the hell? Gwen?" Duncan was a little too surprised to be angry. Gwen looked like a mess. She was paler than usual, her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were slightly red. Her mascara remained intact so she had not cried yet, but she looked close. "What are you doing? Are you-"

"No!" She snapped at him, "you don't talk. You listen!" Her tone bit at him like a knife and he found himself stunned into silence. She began to pace back and forth, running her hands through her hair. She was silent for a good ten seconds.

"I came back…I came back to prove that I could play this game without tying myself to a guy," she finally croaked out, still pacing. Duncan had to remind himself very hard that he was still mad at her. She finally stopped pacing and turned to look at Duncan. "I know what I did to you yesterday was messed up, Duncan. Really, I do, and I'm sorry." She bit her lip to keep it from trembling and hung her head. She was defeated. "But I can't go home like this, Duncan." Her voice got a little wobbly. "Sent home because of boy problems…_again_."

"You created those boy problems yourself," Duncan said before he could stop himself. He regretted the words instantly, but Gwen remained defeated.

"I know," She said miserably, "I _know_ I did. But please, Duncan." She finally looked back up at him. Unshed tears shined in her eyes. "_Please_. Don't vote me off. I'm not trying to pull any strategy. You don't owe me anything, and I can't blame you if you do kick me off. I probably deserve it…but I'm still asking you not to."

Duncan's jaw worked. A million different scenarios flashed thorough his mind, but he just couldn't drum up the same rage he felt the previous night. Right now was a perfect opportunity to agree with Gwen, the vote her out anyways, just like what she did to him. He cursed himself with every foul word he could because he knew. He _knew_ he couldn't do it. He was too damn soft.

"Fine."

Gwen's eyes widened, but she too seemed to realize what he had just thought, and she quickly looked miserable again, "look, if you're just going to try and re-backstab me, can we not do that? Just be honest."

"I am being honest," Duncan said, annoyed. He leaned against the wall of the bathroom and crossed his arms, disgusted with himself. "Fine. I'll convince Jo and Beardo. Okay? You happy now?"

Gwen dabbed at her eyes, thankful no tears had escaped. She looked more confused than happy. "Why?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Don't pick at that thread," Duncan warned. "I don't know either. But if I do this, you vote with me every time we lose until the merge, if we make it that far. Okay?" Gwen opened her mouth, but Duncan kept going, "I _mean _it. No BS."

Gwen nodded. "Fine. That's fair."

Duncan rubbed his face roughly with one of his hands. "Are we done here?"

"I…I guess so," Gwen said uncomfortably. "…thanks, Duncan."

"Don't thank me," Duncan said, "this is an asset to my game. I'll be on top now if I do this. I'll run this team."

"Okay…well I'll leave now." Gwen said, heading for the door. She had one foot out when Duncan called to her.

"I shouldn't have called you a bitch."

Gwen stopped. It wasn't an apology, but it _was_ an admittance of wrongdoing. All things considered, it seemed fair enough.

"No," she agreed, "and I shouldn't have backstabbed you." She left, daring to feel hopeful.

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.) **

Duncan has his face buried in his hands. "You're pathetic, Duncan," he groaned, annoyed. "And weak."

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

Dinner came and went, with nothing much of note happening after Gwen and Duncan's confrontation. Duncan had told Jo and Beardo about the plan, and neither had too many qualms about it.

Things on Team Oddball had been celebratory, and morale was fairly high on Team Alpha too.

As the teams finished up their meal, Chris called Team Nuclear down to the elimination area.

"Who do you have going?" Noah whispered to Lightning.

"Probably Gwen." Lightning whispered back.

"I hope not," Zoey frowned, "she's my friend."

Over at Team Oddball's table, Bridgette was tense.

"What's the matter, Bridgette?" Owen asked, concerned.

"Gwen and I were supposed to talk about what happened last night, but we didn't get the chance, and now she might be going home," Bridgette told him sadly, "I hope she's not mad at me."

Owen looked uncomfortable, "Man, that team is a real mess, huh? Not like us! We're all best pals!" He raised his glass of water in a toast. "To Team Oddball!"

"To team Oddball!" The rest responded.

* * *

The six members of Team Nuclear sat on the stumps. The night was a little windy, so the shadows cast by the fire were long and eerie.

Chris stood behind his usual oil barrel, holding a tray with five marshmallows on it. "Deja vu, eh guys?" He said, smirking. "What's gonna be the outcome this time? Think you're toast again, Duncan?"

"Doubt it," Duncan grunted.

"Well, let's see," Chris said, "the first marshmallow goes o Sammy, our invincibility winner."

Sammy caught her marshmallow with a sad look at Gwen.

"Jo and Beardo, you two are also safe."

He looked between Gwen, Duncan and Scott. "The penultimate marshmallow goes to…Gwen!"

Scott, Sammy _and_ Gwen gasped as Gwen caught her marshmallow. Gwen looked as shocked as the others. She tried to catch Duncan's eye, but he was pointedly evading her gaze.

Scott had turned the color of spoiled milk. "Oh come on," he groaned, glaring at Gwen, "you were _actually_ able to strike a deal with them?!"

Gwen didn't answer.

"Duncan, Scott, this is the final marshmallow. It goes to…Duncan."

Scott groaned again as Duncan caught his marshmallow. "Foiled by a twist," the redneck complained, "what a bunch of bull."

"I'm sorry, Scott," Gwen offered, "but I had to try and save myself."

Scott still looked annoyed, but he shrugged Gwen's apology off. "Whatever, I get it. I woulda done the same thing." He ran his hands through his hair and picked up his luggage, which had been brought to him. "First boot from the team," he grumbled, "what a gip."

"Aw, we'll miss you, Scott," Sammy said sadly, giving him a hug, which he hesitantly returned.

"Kick some butt, okay?" He told her, his eyes a little proud, "you've got the makings of a great schemer yet. Don't let the guilt overpower you, and you could just walk outta here with some money."

Sammy's eyes twinkled, "we'll see."

"Scotty-boy, time to walk." Chris told him.

Scott nodded and headed down the dock. When it arrived, he stepped on and turned to his team, who waved at him. He gave them the finger, and the boat sped off.

"Team Nuclear, you may go," Chris told them, and the five teens walked off.

Jo and Beardo walked ahead of the group, whispering to themselves. Gwen and Duncan split off quickly, each going their own separate ways. Sammy walked towards the trailer, conflicted. Part of her was happy Gwen got to stay, but another part couldn't help but be a little bummed Scott was gone.

"Oi!"

Sammy looked up to see Jasmine smiling down at her.

"You almost ran into me, Sammy! Everything okay?"

Sammy sighed, "Hey Jasmine. Yeah, Gwen go to stay, which is great."

"Who left?"

"Scott."

"Oh, that slime ball, eh? Good riddance, am I right?"

Sammy shrugged uncomfortably, "he wasn't all bad."

Jasmine was savvy enough to sense her tone and dropped the subject. "Hey, I was meaning to ask, what the heck happened last night?"

The two walked over to the trailer area and sat down at one of the picnic tables. Each table had a gas lantern on it, so Jasmine cranked one on, submerging them in cozy light.

Sammy told Jasmine all he grizzly details of what had happened after the other two teams left the previous night.

"Wow," Jasmine let out a low whistle, "seems like they both have a screw loose. Talk about a toxic situation."

Sammy nodded miserably, "and it's all my fault."

Jasmine put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Sammy," she said seriously, "it is not your fault."

Sammy didn't look convinced. "But Jasmine, if I hadn't been so pushy, we wouldn't have had the meltdown, and Scott would still be here, and our team wouldn't be falling to pieces!" She tucked her knees up to her chest. "Duncan and Gwen probably made a deal with Jo and Beardo, which means I'm on the outs," she sniffled, "_again_."

Jasmine scooted over to Sammy and gave her a hug. "Don't worry," she told her, "just try and make it work until the merge. Shawn and I will have your back then. You're a smart gal, Sammy. "

Sammy gave Jasmine a watery smile, "yeah, maybe I am."

"There ya go!" Jasmine ruffled her hair, "now let's get some sleep. LEt's make sure Team Alpha finally loses someone next time, eh?"

"I like the sound of that!"

* * *

Chris grinned at the camera from the elimination area. "What a tense day! Things are sure to get more explosive, especially when our campers get their hands on some alcohol! Tune in next time for another dramatic episode of Total! Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

"So you're telling me we're going to the Playa?" Scott asked Chef, excited.

Chef nodded.

Scott pumped his fist, "alright! _And _there's Aftermaths."

"That's what I said," Chef said, annoyed. "I wasn't lying."

Scott began to rub his hands together, plans and scenarios running through his mind. A sketchy grin formed on his face, "Something tells me this season hasn't seen the last of ol' Scotty Boy...NYAHAHAH!" As he laughed, some salt water from the wake of the boat flew down his throat, and he began to cough and hack. "Bluegheughgehackheehkcehac!"

* * *

**Voting Confessionals:  
**

Beardo: Man, what a wild ride today has been. Apparently Duncan made a deal with Gwen, so now Scott has to go home. Fine by me.

Duncan: I hope I don't regret this...I vote for Scott.

Gwen: *She has her fingers crossed* I vote for Scott...c'mon Duncan...please pull through!

Jo: Meh. Scott, Gwen, whatever. I could honestly care less who goes home, so bye bye, Scott!

Scott: Looks like Gwen's a goner, but I don't really care. Sammy and I together can do some damage. I vote for Duncan.

* * *

**Votes:**

_Scott - 4 votes: (Beardo, Duncan, Gwen, Jo)._

_Duncan - 1 vote: (Scott). _

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Sky, Rodney, Izzy, Noah.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Jo, Sammy, Beardo.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

Ahh, Scott. Such a great character. Unfortunately this cast has so few fodder picks that some of the better characters have to bounce early, as is the case with Scott. He was essentially blindsided by the cesspool of drama on Team Nuclear, which is a shame for him since he started the episode in such a good spot. Initially he was going to be eliminated second on the basis that no one trusted him, but after the meltdown of Gwuncan I felt that the only way to boot him early would be a blindside with Gwen saving her own ass. Though I have to say...Scott's presence in the story is by no means finished, and I might just have to agree with the dirtbag when he says we might not have seen the last of him...

* * *

**Welp, this chapter took longer than I wanted to get out, but at least it's here now! I'm hoping to have anohter chapter up in a couple of weeks. **

**THIS NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE FIRST REST DAY...no challenge, no elimination. Just plot and character furthering and development...oh and alcohol. Lots of alcohol...**

**I know this chapter, and the story so far, has focused pretty heavily on Team Nuclear, Gwen and Duncan in particular. No, this will not be the same throughout the entire story. They just have a lot of muck to get out of the way early on, but other characters and teams will get the limelight as the story progresses! **

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed!**

**\- Did Scott deserve to get booted?**

**\- What will everyone do on their day off?**

**\- Who will be the first to puke their guts out from drinking too much?**

**Please don't forget to review! It is the life blood that keeps my writing spirit thriving. Love you guys, ciao! **


	6. Mega Boozy Truth or Dare Shenanagins!

**Alright. It's 10/29 and I'm currently on a 10 hour train to Virginia! Lets get this chapter done baby. **

**First rest day and I'm very excited. Some SHE-freakin-NANIGANS are about to go down. Muahahaha.**

**Like with every chapter, I'm going to remind you to vote on the poll on my profile on who you want to join the Aftermaths in the Peanut Gallery. 6th place has 19 votes, and 13th place has 16. It's tight! **

**Now, get ready for some boozy fun.**

* * *

It was still the night of Scott's elimination. Everyone had made a habit of turning in pretty early due to the strenuous challenges. It was currently 9:30 PM and everyone was resting or relaxing in their trailers.

"I gotta say," Duncan said from his bunk, "kinda nice not having Dirt Boy underneath me."

"What the hell happened on your team?" Rodney asked the punk curiously, "you got _eliminated_ last challenge and now Scott's gone?"

Duncan smirked, putting his arms behind his head. "Just some damage control and masterful manipulation," he bragged, "it's about time people remembered how good at this stupid game I am."

Noah scoffed from his bunk above the hulking farm boy, "_Suuure_. Yeah, that's what it is. He probably just swapped spit with Gwen again and she decided to keep him."

Duncan sat up in his bed with a snarl. "Watch your _mouth_, nerdling."

"Struck a nerve, have I?" Noah drawled.

"Sha-Jeeze! Can you two dummies keep it down?" Lightning whined, "we have a challenge tomorrow, incase your forgot! The Lightning needs his rest."

"Seriously," Shawn agreed, "I'm wiped. Save it for tomorrow you two."

"Yeah, he's wiped from carrying our team," Owen whooped, and the zombie boy grinned at him.

A sharp shriek pierced the air: The big megaphone in the center of camp.

All the boys initially turned to Beardo, but the beatboxer just shrugged his shoulders. "Not me, guys," he told them, "maybe a night challenge?"

"Ugh, I hope not," Lightning complained, "Lightning needs to recharge his batteries!"

Sure enough, Chris's voice rang through the camp. "Hey campers. Heads up, there will be _NO _challenge tomorrow! Its is a rest day, and you may do whatever you want. Normal competition resumes the day after tomorrow." The megaphone went quiet.

"Cool," Noah said, settling into his covers.

Suddenly, the door got kicked open and a blur of ginger entered the cabin. That blur turned out to be Izzy, grinning wickedly.

"Izzy!" Owen gasped, yanking the covers up over his body even though he was fully clothed. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Hey there, wee laddies," Izzy greeted them in a terrible Scottish accent, "our host just told us there's no challenge tomorrow. Do you know what that means?"

"Uhh…an extra day to fortify the island from zombie attacks?" Shawn asked, a little unsure of what Izzy was talking about.

"Nope, though that is a good plan," Izzy told him, "it means that Izzy hit up the Tucke Shoppe and spent all her Bux…on this!" She pulled out a big armful of alcohol bottles from who-knows-where.

Noah instantly broke out in a cold sweat, as if the girl were holding bombs instead of bottles. "Izzy…be reasonable here," he pleaded.

"We're moving to the Rec Center, baby!" Izzy told them, "it's _party_ time!"

Surprisingly, Beardo leapt to his feet with a jazzy riff. "Heck yeah, I'm down!"

Owen was excited too. "Alright!"

"I'm in my PJs," Noah whined, "and it's late!"

"It's 9:30, grandma," Lightning snorted, "Personally, Lightning is down to hang out. It's not like we gotta wake up or do anything tomorrow."

"I'm confused, though," Rodney said, "Chris just announced this, how'd you get all that stuff so quick?"

"It's best not to question her," Duncan told him, "alright, it's been a while since I drank, I'm down."

Izzy's grin, if possible, got even wider, "excellent! See you guys there!" In another ginger flash, she was gone.

"What are we getting ourselves into…?" Shawn sighed.

Owen walked over to the still complaining Noah and scooped him up as if he were a baby. "C'mon little buddy, we've got some fun to have!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Beardo.)**

Beardo pumps his fists, "Yes! This is exactly the kind of thing I came back for! Fun, social interactions! I never get invited to parties back home, so I'm totally ready for this!" He smooths his fro back, a little agitated, "also, totally nervous as well…" he gulps.

**(End Confessional: Beardo.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen & Noah.)**

Owen is still holding Noah like a baby, and is talking over his endless stream of complaints and gripes, "I've gotten especially good at getting Noah to do fun stuff that he doesn't want to do," he explains to the camera, "like that we went and saw the Dancing Girls in Vegas, or went to that wet T-Shirt contest, or-"

"This was before you, honey!" Noah yells to the camera, startling Owen, "Owen, are you _trying_ to get me in trouble!"

Owen looks proudly at the camera, "Aw, isn't that what best friends are for?"

**(End Confessional: Owen & Noah.)**

* * *

"Girls!" Izzy hurtled into the girls trailer, startling the majority of them. "It's party time!"

"Party time?" Jo asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You heard Chris, we have the day off tomorrow!" Izzy told the trailer. Most of the girls were looking a little hesitant, as Sammy, Gwen, Jasmine, Jo and Zoey weren't really the 'party' type. "So let's have some fun!"

Bridgette was one of the few girls who seemed totally onboard with the idea. "Cool," she said with her usual laid-back smile, "where are we going?"

"Rec Center. The guys are already on the way there. Let's go!" Izzy dashed out of the trailer, leaving most of the other girls in silence.

"Meh, haven't really been to too many parties, but what the heck," Jasmine said, hopping down. "Besides," she addressed the rest of the hesitant girls, "what else are we gonna do? Go to sleep?"

"Sleep sounds pretty good," Gwen shrugged, settling back into her covers.

"Aw, C'mon Gwen, don't be a party pooper," Bridgette teased, walking up to the goth and ripping the covers off. This heinous act earned an indignant "hey" from Gwen, but Bridgette ignored her.

Eventually, all the girls were up and out of the trailer and heading towards the Rec Center. Faint voices were heard inside, which meant that the guys had already arrived.

Bridgette, at the head of the group of girls, pushed open the door and entered.

A makeshift table had been set up, with a bunch of paper cups and the bottles that Izzy had produced.

"Oh, hey guys!" Izzy said, bottle of whiskey tipped upside down Rodney's throat. The farm boy was counting down from five on one meaty paw, and when he reached zero Izzy removed the bottle. Rodney wiped his mouth, unfazed.

"Jesus, Rodney!" Jasmine exclaimed, "you're gonna feel that one tomorrow, mate!"

Rodney chuckled, "Nah, it takes way more than that to get me buzzed. I'm a big guy. Duncan didn't believe I could straight chug whiskey for five seconds, and I had to prove him wrong."

"I'm almost impressed," Duncan agreed.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Izzy said excitedly, "cause you can bet your butt Izzy has a plan for tonight…"

"I think so," Sammy said, peering behind her and doing a quick headcount.

"Alright, gather around everyone," Izzy said mischievously, rubbing her hands together. "I want to play a _Game_…"

"Duck Duck Goose?"

"Shut up, Noah!" Izzy snapped, still smiling, "we're going to play ULTIMATE TRUTH OR DARE!"

Lightning snorted, "Ultimate? What makes it Ultimate?"

"Let's just say there's a price to play for entering the game…and a prize to be won!" Izzy rubbed her hands together. "To play, you must pound THREE WHOLE SHOTS!"

"Three shots?" Noah shook his head, "you're overestimating people's tolerance here, Izzy. We'll all be incoherent within minutes."

"That's the thing, my large-foreheaded friend," Izzy told him, taking a swig from a nearby bottle, "once you enter, the penalty for not revealing a truth or accepting a dare isn't JUST a shot, it can be a shot OR a piece of clothing removed!"

Owen gave a high-pitched gasp, "so it's Strip-Drink Truth or Dare?! Let's get it on, baby!"

"Oh yes," Izzy cackled, "now who's ready to have some fun!"

Against most of their better judgments and after some thorough peer pressure, surprisingly everyone agreed to play the game. Izzy grabbed a stack of paper cups and began to juggle them, scattering them all out and expertly filling them with vodka.

"Wow, Izzy," Zoey said, watching the spectacle with wide eyes, "when did you learn how to do that?"

"Izzy bartended for soldiers back in 'Nam," Izzy said nonchalantly, "tough years, I'll admit, but I learned a lot."

"I don't know why I agreed to this," Sky grumbled as she received her hefty cup of vodka from Izzy, "I'm just gonna embarrass myself."

"Why's that?" Lightning asked, downing his cup without so much as a flinch, "can't hold your liquor, Shorty?"

Sky flushed a little. "No! Uh, I just, get a little…affectionate when I'm drunk…" She told him. "But I'm not gonna let that stop me! I'm winning this Truth or Dare game!" She too downed her entrance fee as flawlessly as Lightning had, much to the jocks approval.

"I think if I shoot this in one go I'm going to puke," Sammy winced, looking at her vodka.

"C'mon girl, let's go for it!" Jasmine said, walking up to the shorter girl, "Cheers!"

The two knocked paper cups and drank. Immediately Sammy began coughing and hacking, but she managed to choke down most of the alcohol.

"Not too bad," Jasmine smirked, gently patting the girl on the back.

"Thanks," Sammy spluttered, wiping her mouth, "drinking and partying is more _Amy's_ thing, not mine."

"Well you're better than her at most things," Shawn said, his cup also empty without a fuss, "so I bet you'll be great at partying."

Sammy beamed at him.

Soon enough everyone had gotten the alcohol down, feeling warm and just a little fuzzy. They all moved and gathered the couches in the middle of the room. Four large sofas facing inward made a square. Lightning, Jasmine, Sammy and Izzy were squeezed on one. Noah, Bridgette, Gwen and Jo were on another. Owen, Shawn, Beardo and Duncan made up the third, and Zoey, Sky, and Rodney were on the last. They put a coffee table in the middle with all the booze on it.

"Okokokok, I'll go first…" Izzy said, looking around at everyone. "But first, everyone take their shoes and socks off! We ain't using any of that wussy crap for clothes punishments!" There was a quick shuffle as everyone adjusted and pulled off their shocks and shoes.

"You're lucky Jasmine makes me shower more." Shawn joked as he wiggled his toes.

"It's true," Jasmine agreed, shooting her boyfriend an easy smile. "They used to smell so bad, they could've been used as zombie repellent."

Shawn chuckled, but was stopped when Izzy smacked her hand on the middle of the table. "I have made my selection!" She decreed. She raised a hand and pointed it at different people as the intense elimination music began to play.

"Hey, where's that music coming from?" Jo asked.

Beardo ceased his noises and chuckled, already a little flushed in the face. "Sorry, just seemed appropriate."

"Ooh yes, I like it," Izzy said, lowering her hand, "keep it up!"

Beardo chuckled again and resumed his tune.

Izzy eventually settled on Noah, who clasped his hands to his face in mock surprise. She narrowed her eyes at the boy, "Noah!" The redhead cackled, "Truth or Dare!"

"Truth," Noah said smugly.

Izzy pouted, "Darn it! I wanted you to pick dare so-"

"So you could dare me to kiss another guy on the ear, yes. You're so original."

Izzy just grinned cheekily at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Fine! If you had to kiss one guy on the ear in this room, who would it be?"

Laughter erupted around the room as Noah rolled his eyes. "Probably Owen," he said, "the guy is practically a brother to me."

"Aww, that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me!" Owen gushed.

"Boo, boring!" Izzy hooted. "Noah, ask someone! And spice it up!"

Noah smirked, "fine…" he looked around the room. "Jo. Truth or dare."

Jo leveled a challenging glare at him. "I'm not a wuss like you. I choose dare!"

"Hey, its your funeral. I dare you to take a big inhale from the inside of Shawn's beanie."

Groans of disgust rang out throughout the room. Shawn looked offended and clutched at his beanie protectively.

"Damn, that's a good one," Jo said, looking annoyed and impressed, "but you already know I won't back down." She held out her hand, "toss it here, Zombie Boy."

Shawn removed the beanie from his head and tossed it at Jo. She braced herself, and then stuck her face in the hat, emitting a very audible inhale. She quickly removed her face and began to cough and hack.

"Wow… that is sick," Bridgette said with a nervous smile.

"God, that is _musty_," Jo gagged, tossing the hat back at Shawn. "It's called a washing machine, dude." She turned to Noah, "I'm gonna get you back for that, twerp."

He just smirked at her.

"Hey," Zoey asked, "what happens if we don't wanna drink anymore, or take more clothes off, or just stop playing?"

"You can leave whenever," Izzy shrugged, "but then you're a big ol' looooooooser!"

Jo grinned, "looks like I gotta start hitting hard then. Let's get rid of some of the weaklings." She punched her fist and zoned in on the room. "I dare the whole room to take two more shots!"

"Hey! You can't dare the whole room!" Lightning protested, "that's cheating!"

"Hey, I dared the whole room," Jo shrugged, "if you're too much of a wuss to do it and want to hide behind some namby-pamby rules, then go for it!"

Lightning gnashed his teeth but grabbed a bottle from the center and drank.

"I don't really want to drink two shots," Bridgette said, looking very much like she was okay with taking two more shots, "but I'm not gonna let _Jo_ pull one over on me."

Jo barked out a laugh, "so the surfer girl can bite back, huh?" Her laugh died when she saw that everyone had taken more shots, effectively turning some of them rather drunk. Five shots in such a short time was enough to make even seasoned drinkers start to get tipsy. They were in for a wild ride.

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

Duncan is shirtless, with a kiss mark on his cheek and obscene marker drawings all over his face. He looks incredibly hungover and seems to be narrating from the morning following the Truth or Dare game. "It all started with those two damn shots, man," he says, holding his head, "aghhh, my damn head is killing me…"

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

Two hours had passed, and the game had gotten quite rowdy. They had made two more runs to the Tucke Shoppe to buy more booze, and a separate trip to buy markers and other things they could use in the Truth or Dare game.

Currently everyone was still in the game except for Zoey, who had gotten sick after being dared to kiss one of Owen's socks, and Noah, who had opted out after being faced with removing his underwear or taking yet another shot. The bookworm was still in the Rec Center in his underpants, watching from the floor as the game raged around him.

Most of them were completely drunk now, though Lightning, Sky, Jo and Bridgette were a little more sober than the others. Rodney had probably consumed enough alcohol to send any of the others to the hospital, but the big guy was just starting to feel the buzz.

Izzy laughed uncontrollably as Shawn leapt to his feet. The zombie nut was noticeably quite goofy when he was drunk.

"You think your weak challenge fazes me?" Shawn bellowed, stumbling a little.

"Go ahead then, show us what your Mama gave you!" Sky taunted.

Shawn turned around so his back was to the others. He had lost his vest and shirt, but still had his beanie, pants and underpants on. He popped his hip and flexed his cheeks, making the guys howl with laughter and the girls give various cat calls.

"I can't believe you dared him to twerk," Bridgette giggled to Jasmine, who was roaring with laughter. "You're an evil girlfriend!"

"Hey Beardo, give the guy some appropriate music!" Duncan called. The beatboxer obliged and began to play some trappy club music.

On the beat drop, Shawn dipped his hips and began to twerk for all he was worth. The Rec Center filled with uproarious laughter as Shawn poured his heart and soul into his booty. Jasmine wiped tears from her eyes and Izzy thumped Jo, who was laughing so hard she choked on her own spit.

With a final sashay of his hips, Shawn walked back to the couch and plopped down. "Boom." Was all he head to say. He wiggled his eyebrows at Jasmine. "You like what you see, Babe?"

"It was very…" Jasmine struggled to find the right words.

"Caucasian?" Noah offered from the sidelines, earning more laughter.

"Laugh all you want," Shawn taunted, "but we'll see who's laughing when I dare the whole room to take off a piece of clothing!"

Lightning, still fully clothed, tore his jersey off to some wolf whistles from the ladies. Owen followed, and he received even more wolf whistles.

Soon everyone had discarded a piece of clothing. All the guys were down to their boxers now except for Lightning and Owen, who still had pants on. The girls were in better shape, as they had been a little more reluctant to take their clothes off. Bridgette had exposed her lacy turquoise bra and Jo hadn't had any problems shedding her pants since she wore some boy shorts underneath. Gwen rolled her eyes with a smile as she discarded her skirt. "Everyone saw my panties in season 1," she shrugged, tossing the skirt behind her, "I don't give a shit!"

"Okay, Beardo can go next," Shawn said, smirking in victory.

Beardo gave Shawn a thumbs up. His afro, in his drunkenness, had gotten somehow poofier. He zeroed in on his next target. "Gwen! Truth or Dare!"

"Dare," Gwen slurred.

"I dare you to let Izzy draw on your face with permanent marker!"

A chorus of "ooo's" rang out at that.

"Damn, that's below the belt," Izzy cackled, eagerly grabbing a marker, "so, what'll it be, Gwennie?"

"Bring it!" Gwen told her.

"Alright, your turn Gwen," Beardo told her as Izzy descended on the goth.

"Ok, Sammy! Truth or dare!"

"Err…I'm gonna go with truth on this one," Sammy said, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. She was the only one not to select dare yet.

"Haha, you're about to learn that some truths are more painful than dares," Gwen grinned, "Sammy, which boy do you…eeech, Izzy!" Izzy had stuck the corner of the marker in Gwen's mouth by accident and the goth spit out some black spit. "Watch it!"

"Sorry, my hand's a little unsteady," Izzy giggled, drawing a picture of a super swole, roided-out Cody on Gwen's cheek. "Cody's gonna be packing some _heat_, if you know what I'm saying…"

"I really don't," Gwen told her, "but I'm sure it'll be hideous. Anyways, Sammy…who's the cutest boy here?"

Sammy turned a vibrant shade of pink. Everyone leaned in expectantly and the shy girl covered her face in embarrassment.

"She's gonna take a shot," Jo said dismissively, "she won't say."

"Nah, she's tipsy enough," Jasmine told Jo, her dark eyes twinkling, "though I reckon I know who it is, eh Sammy?"

"Ugh, fine," Sammy said, uncovering her face and looking determined. It didn't help that she was still pink in the face though, but there was a defiant note in her voice as she crossed her arms and mumbled, "I _guess_ I'd have to say…Scott."

Bedlam.

"Oh _gross_!" Jo howled, miming gagging and retching. Lightning actually _was_ gagging and retching. Owen and Bridgette were wolf whistling and Rodney's jaw was practically on the floor. Duncan was bent over the couch, sobbing with laughter as Beardo mimicked wedding bells.

Sammy buried her face in her skirt, "I hate you guys!" She said, but her smile kind of tainted the venom in her voice. "He's just kinda cute, okay? It's not like I'm crushing on him or anything. Besides, he's gone now!"

Eventually the clamor died down and the game was able to resume.

"Okay, Sky, truth or dare?" Sammy asked Sky.

Sky crossed her arms, "Dare!"

"Okay," a very Amy-like expression appeared on her face, "I dare you to kiss one of the boys here! On the lips!"

Sky laughed, "Fine, easy-peasy!"

Sammy faltered a little bit. Obviously this was not a big deal to Sky.

Sky swiveled her head around, looking at the dudes. Even while hammered, she knew that Shawn and Noah had boyfriends, so she ruled them out. She first zeroed in on Lightning, who was smirking expectantly at her. For some reason, that annoyed her. She had been flirting with him on and off while they had been on the island and he had been ignoring her, and now he expected her to swoop down and smooch him? Hah!

"Hah!" She barked out a laugh. She walked over to one of the couches and plopped down beside one of the boys. "You don't mind if I kiss you, do you?" She asked the boy innocently.

A drunk Rodney smirked at her, every trace of nervousness gone. "It would be my absolute pleasure," he said, his voice oddly deep and suave, "to share a kiss with someone as beautiful as you."

Everyone watched with baited breath. Lightning looked on, bug-eyed.

The two kissed for a solid five seconds before Rodney pulled away.

"Excellent, as expected," he winked at Sky, not even blushing.

Sky fanned herself and smirked, "how was _that_ Sammy?"

Sammy was slack-jawed, as were most of the others. "Wow…I thought for sure you were gonna kiss Lightning!"

"Hah, he wouldn't want me to, he's been ignoring me all season!" She slurred, turning to give Lightning a knowing look. Instead, she was met with an empty couch. Her triumphant expression melted off her face. "Where…where'd he go?"

"He high-tailed it outta here right before you locked lips with farm boy," Noah, by far the most sober person left, told her. "You mighta just screwed up there, hon."

"Pfft, whatever," she slurred, grumpy now. She thumped onto the sofa. "Guess he's out, huh?"

"Out like a light!" Izzy sang, "a light...ning! Haha, get it?"

"Alright, alright," Jo said impatiently, "keep the game moving!"

"Truth or dare, Owen!" Sky said.

"Haha, do you even have to ask?!" Owen said jovially, "gimme a dare, darn it!"

"Now I dare _you_ to kiss someone!"

For the first time that night, Owen faltered a little. He instantly looked at Izzy, who was busy blowing stray hairs out of her eyes. He chuckled nervously. "Well, I have pretty bad alcohol breath, so uh…I won't subject anyone to that." His hands fumbled for his trousers, "guess I'll just lose the pants! Oh well, haha…darn…haha."

Noah sprung up, looking ridiculous in just his boxer shorts. "Owen, a minute?" He gestured out to the porch of the Rec Center.

"Hey, what about the game?" Jo protested.

A drunk Bridgette was piecing it together, "just let them, Jo. Be quick, you guys!"

Noah swiped a bottle from the table and he and Owen jogged out to the porch.

"You are _not_ chickening out," Noah told him in a loud whisper.

"Chickening out? Me? What _ever_ are you talking about, Noah my good man?" Owen said, his attempt at nonchalance absolutely laughable.

Noah focused his eyes on his tubby friend, which was a little difficult for him, "you're gonna go in there and kiss Izzy. Don't think I haven't forgotten our little conversation a couple days ago!"

Owen started to sweat, "I…I dunno, Noah! I'm scared!"

"Scared of what?"

"Scared she won't wanna!"

Noah face-palmed. "Look, dude. Izzy's a free spirit. I can pretty much guarantee she won't mind swapping spit with you for a few seconds. Whether or not that'll lead to something getting reignited…? Who knows! But you gotta give it a try!" With his piece said, he hefted his liquor bottle, stuffed it in Owen's mouth so the Fatboy was forced to take a few gulps, then turned him around. "Now get in there and kiss some crazy!"

Owen, emboldened by the sudden surge of alcohol and his friends pep talk, let out a warrior cry and barged into the Rec Center, startling everyone.

"Izzy," He shouted, bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement. "I'm gonna kiss you! For my Truth or Dare!"

"Hm?" Izzy looked Owen up and down critically, then smiled and shrugged. "Okay!"

Owen squealed in excitement and practically pranced the rest of the distance to her. He sat down on the couch, not seeing that Shawn was there and squishing the crap out of him. Izzy climbed onto his lap and the two began to make out.

"HELL YEAH!" Duncan whooped, letting out a shrill wolf whistle, "get it, big guy!"

"Ugh, this is uncomfortable to watch," Jo said, using her hand to block out the image of them kissing.

Unfortunately for Shawn, the sound of Owen and Izzy's lips smacking was drowning out his strangulated pleas for assistance. Fortunately for Shawn, his lovely girlfriend noticed his absence. "Oi, you two! Get off him!" She cried, shoving the two off her boyfriend.

Owen and Izzy sprawled on the ground, still kissing.

"Uhh…seems my pep talk worked a little too well," Noah said, walking up to stand next to Sammy as they looked down at the couple. "Guess the game's over."

"Fine by me," Jasmine said, hoisting a dazed Shawn over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Besides, babe, I kinda dig what they're selling, if y'know what I mean…"

A dazed Shawn could only giggle goofily at his girlfriends implications, and the two left the Rec Center.

"Ugh, I need to leave before I puke." Jo rolled her eyes, "or this game turns into a hormone fest of second base or some crap like that."

"Yeah, I'm starved," Duncan agreed. "Anyone else wanna grab some grub?"

"I think they're cooked," Noah said, jerking his thumb at Rodney, Sky and Beardo, who were all draped over different couches, snoring, "but I could use a snack."

Gwen, Sammy, Jo and Bridgette joined Noah and Duncan in their drunken trudge to the Mess Hall.

"Are we even allowed to make our own food?" Bridgette giggled as they all stumbled very unstealithy into the Mess Hall.

"Who gives a shit?" Duncan told her. The punk flicked on the light switch and the six made their way back into the kitchen.

"We're probably not gonna have much of a selection," Sammy pointed out.

"Whatever. I'll take a PB&J." Jo said.

"Shouldn't we just go to the Tuck Shoppe instead? There's better snacks there," Gwen realized.

Duncan smacked his forehead, "Damn! I completely forgot about that. Good call, Pasty."

"Pasty? You haven't called me that in forever," Gwen smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just call it like I see it," Duncan said, nearly stumbling over a chair as he left the kitchen. He stopped and poked her cheek, "I mean look at that. That's pasty as hell."

Gwen laughed and swatted his hand away, "Cut it out, jerk!"

"I just call it like I see it," the punk responded, "like Noah with his—"

"I swear to god if you mention my forehead I will kick you in the nuts." Noah deadpanned.

Duncan just laughed.

As the six exited the Mess Hall and began walking towards the Tuck Shoppe, they passed by Lightning, who was making his way back towards the Rec Center.

* * *

**(Confessional: Lightning.)**

"Ugh!" Lightning whines. He has his arms crossed as he pouts. "Sky just up and _kissed_ Rodney! Like on the mouth! Lightning can't believe it! Shorty is supposed to like the LIGHTNING!" He pauses, as if the camera is talking to him. "Lightning _knows_ he said he probably wasn't ready for a relationship on the show, but…" he pauses again, as if listening, "yes he _has_ been ignoring all of her flirts and advances, but…" He pauses again, then scoffs in disgust. "Whatever! You're no help anyways, stupid camera! I'm sha-OUTTA here!"

**(End Confessional: Lightning.)**

* * *

"Can't believe Lightning forgot his stupid Jersey…" Lightning grumbled to himself, "stupid Sky…stupid Rodney…" Lightning stormed into the Rec Center, ready to collect his jersey and give Sky a piece of his mind, but all he saw were Owen and Izzy steadily making progress towards second base and a bunch of passed out campers, Sky being one of them. His scowl lessened slightly when he saw her snoring loudly on the couch. It didn't hurt that she wasn't next to Rodney.

"Damnit, Shorty," Lightning sighed. He pulled on his jersey as he walked over to her sleeping form, "Why you gotta play with Lightning's emotions like that? Not cool!" He grunted as he bent down picked up Sky like she weighed nothing more than a kitten, "now c'mon, let's get you to bed."

He took her out of the Rec Center and down towards the trailers. The steady movement of his footfalls roused Sky from her drunken daze, and she let out a little groan and tensed. "Lightning?" She whispered, unable to see in the dark.

"Yeah, it's me," Lightning grumbled, unaware that he used the first-person for once.

Sky sighed a little at that and relaxed into his body, placing her head on his chest.

"Hmph, Lightning is still mad at you, no matter how much cute stuff you do like that," he told her sleeping form.

"Mad at me?" She slurred, and Lightning froze. Whoops, guess she wasn't asleep. "Why are you mad at me?"

"Forget it," Lightning told her, "it's whatever. Lightning's just being dumb…as usual."

She perked up a little at his self pity, though the movement made her wince in pain. "Agh..my head," she flopped her skull back against Lightning's chest. They were getting closer to the trailers now. "Hey," she finally got out, her fuzzy brain finally starting to connect the dots. "That…the Rodney? Rodney thing? Is that what you mean?"

Lightning's irritated grunt said it all.

"Don't worry about that," she told him, "I don't like him. I just…ugh, I dunno…talking and thinking is hard right now," her voice got a little whiny, "I should've just kissed you."

Lightning raised his eyebrows at this, not that she could see that in the dark, and he found himself smirking. Aided a bit by the alcohol, he looked down at her, "darn right you should've!" He waited for a response. He basically just admitted his feelings, right? Maybe he'd get a kiss!

He was met with light snoring.

The big jock sighed, a little deflated but in better spirits than he had been minutes before. He finally reached the trailer and opened the door. To his surprise, Zoey was still up, writing something in what was likely a diary or journal of some sort.

"Lightning? What the heck are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously. Her suspicion turned more into confusion when she saw the sleeping Sky.

"Just dropping Shorty off," Lightning told her.

"What, did she fall asleep outside or something?" Zoey asked, "is she ok?"

"She's fine. Just had too much to drink," Lightning assured her, "and naw, she was asleep in the Rec Center, but those couches ain't exactly the comfiest. Where's her bed?"

Zoey pointed at the correct bed, her expression softening as Lightning carefully tucked Sky into bed.

"There, all snug as a bug," Lightning said happily, straightening up and dusting his hands off.

"Did I miss anything good?" Zoey asked.

"Shawn twerked, which was sha-rancid. A bunch of people got their faces covered in Sharpie. There was some kissing…and Sammy said she thought Scott was cute," Lightning said, struggling a little to recall, "there was a lot of stuff that went down. How're you feeling?"

"Ugh, better," Zoey told him, leaning back and closing her eyes, "I'm bummed I missed everything, though."

"There'll be other times," Lightning assured her before letting out a massive yawn. "Anyways, it's sha-late out and Lightning is getting pretty darn tired. See ya, girl!"

"Goodnight, Lightning," Zoey said to his back.

* * *

"Okay, but did you _see_ how suave Rodney was?" Gwen laughed.

The six hungry teens had migrated to the Tucke Shoppe to get food, and were now all munching on chips and candy outside in the grass.

"Pfft, you can say that again," Duncan agreed, "Hell, _I _was about to kiss him!" The two erupted into laughter.

"If he settled his nerves he could be a real lady killer," Bridgette chuckled. The blonde had zipped her hoodie up and was using her undershirt as a pillow as she reclined in the grass.

"Meh, he's been trying to focus on the game," Noah sighed, "I just hope he doesn't read too much into the kiss with Sky. We need him focused on the game. Besides, I'm pretty sure Sky likes Lightning and was just kissing him to make Lightning jealous."

"I know!" Sammy exclaimed, "I gave Sky that dare so maybe they'd get to hook up or something!"

"She sure got Lightning jealous enough," Jo snorted, "Jockstrap bailed faster than me confronted with makeup."

Noah let out a dry chuckle. "Yup. Tomorrow should be good. We're all gonna be feeling pretty shitty."

"Sounds like a good day to just huddle up with snacks and watch movies on the VCR all day," Bridgette said.

"Oh my god that sounds amazing," Sammy said enviously, "just thinking about it makes me sleepy!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired too," Duncan said, stumbling to his feet and stretching his arms out over his head. "Night, guys,"

"I'm out too," Noah said. "Later, guys."

Sammy and Jo joined the two guys and after everyone said their goodbyes, it was just Bridgette and Gwen, relaxing in the cool breeze in the dark.

"So," Bridgette said happily, "we finally gonna have that talk? I was worried I wouldn't get to have it and that you were gonna get eliminated tonight! What the hell happened? I was sure it was gonna be either you or Duncan!"

Gwen smiled a little into the blackness. "It's…complicated."

"Bitch, don't test me," Bridgette joked, making Gwen gasp.

"Bridgette! That's a dollar in the swear jar, y'know."

"Bitch bitch bitch bitch," Bridgette teased, "now spill it!"

Gwen settled back down with a smirk. "Fine. Basically, I just had a heart-to-heart with Duncan. I basically begged him not to kick me off, even though he probably should've."

"And he listened?" Bridgette asked, incredulous. "This is _Duncan_ we're talking about, here!"

"Yeah, and he's a total softy," Gwen said fondly, "that's part of the reason why I was initially attracted to him. You ever hear the saying 'every girl wants a bad boy that's good only to her.'?"

"And every guy wants a good girl thats bad only to him," Bridgette finished, and the two laughed.

"Yeah, well Duncan was pretty much that guy from the saying."

"So you guys aren't like… back together or anything, are you?"

"Hell no," Gwen said quickly, "that ship is long sailed, and I think he's okay with that. He wanted to see if there was a chance, but I shut him down. He asked if we could be friends and I said yeah, but…then I screwed up."

"By kicking him off?"

Gwen nodded, then remembered that Bridgette couldn't see her in the darkness of the outdoors. "Yeah. I was having doubts but didn't have the guts to pull the plug on the plan. Sammy, bless her heart, went full steam ahead on ousting him and he was gone. It was pure luck that Brick had to quit."

Bridgette gave a low whistle, "Damn. So where do you two stand now?"

"Well, he told me that I have to be in an alliance with him and vote with him until the merge if he saved me."

"Wow, that's a pretty hefty price," Bridgette said, "leave it to Duncan to play hardball."

"Yeah, I know, but I said yes. It was that or get eliminated. I'm gonna stick to my word though." Gwen heaved a sigh. "Contrary to what he probably thinks right now, I _do_ wanna be friends with him if he's actually okay with being friends. I'm just worried he's gonna catch feelings or something again."

Bridgette reached out and found Gwen's arm. She gave it a comforting squeeze. "Sounds complicated."

"Yeah, but when has anything in this game ever been straightforward for me?" Gwen said bitterly. Her bitterness faded though and she reached out and poked Bridgette in the face, "hey, I shouldn't be spilling my secrets to the _enemy_."

"Hahaha, yup you've really screwed your game up now," Bridgette said, "you just told the most useless player in our cast all your secrets."

The bitterness in her tone surprised Gwen. "Hey, you are _not_ the most useless person in our cast. You're literally one of the most popular!"

"For what?" Bridgette complained, her voice slurring a little, "all I've done is have boy troubles. On the island I got booted by the dudes because they were worried about me and Geoff. He and I got kicked off at the film lot because we were hormonal and obnoxious, and then I let stupid Alejandro manipulate me into getting eliminated in World Tour!" She scoffed at herself. "I'm pathetic."

Gwen sat up, swaying a bit. "Bridgette, I get it. _Believe me_. But this is our chance to redeem ourselves! You've got no boy problems this time, so you can finally show people what you're made of!"

"I can't, though!" Bridgette exclaimed, "I'm already screwed! Owen's made friends with Shawn and Jasmine, so the next time we lose I'm the one gone!"

Gwen let that sink in, unsure how to refute that. It did seem like a pretty certain possibility. "Jeeze," she finally said, "that's a bummer."

Bridgette sighed, subconsciously twirling a blonde strand of hair around her finger as she sprawled in the grass, "yup…that about sums is up…"

The girls were silent for a few minutes, until an unmistakeable sound began to fill the air.

"Gwen?" Bridgette asked the darkness, "Are you…snoring?"

All the received in reply was more snoring.

"Oh my god, such a hooligan," Bridgette chuckled to herself. Her eyelids started to get heavy as well. They fell asleep there in the warm summer night.

* * *

The next morning, Chris sat at one of the tables in the Mess Hall with Zoey.

"Jeeze-Louise, where is everyone?" Chris asked, "surely they're not all still passed out?" He checked his fancy watch, "It's almost noon for crying out loud!"

Zoey giggled, "Considering Jo and Sammy were the only ones to bring themselves back to the trailer last night, I think they're all in pretty rough shape."

Chris sighed, "welp, if they're all hungover and out of it, I guess it's my responsibility as the caring, doting host to go yell in their ears and see if I can get 'em to puke!"

"Hey!" Zoey gave him a stern look, "I thought you were supposed to be nicer this season?"

"What can I say?" Chris said as he headed towards the door, "I guess it's hard going cold turkey…muhahaha…"

The camera followed the host as he walked through the campground. First he approached the Tuck Shoppe. Bridgette and Gwen were still conked out outside of it, covered in morning dew.

Chris gave his hands two sharp claps, and the girls' eyes shot open. Gwen sat up quickly, and immediately clutched at her head.

"Ohhhh, bad idea, bad idea!" The goth cried.

"Morning, kiddos! You guys have fun last night?" Chris said in an obnoxiously loud voice.

"Chris, shut up!" Bridgette moaned, "why are you being so loud?"

"What did you say, Bridgette?" Chris asked, even louder. "Say, you kids didn't happen to do anything _irresponsible_ last night, didja?!"

Gwen responded by holding her stomach and puking into the grass. The sound and smell of that was enough to get Bridgette to blow chunks as well.

Chris laughed maniacally. "Excellent…excellent!" He walked past the two girls and headed towards the Rec Center. "Y'know, I think I'll give the campers who actually made it back to their trailers a break. Anyone else? Hawho, heuhahwauhehawho…" He entered the Rec Center, where Beardo was still sleeping. Rodney was there too, but he was awake and getting back to functioning normally.

"Hey Chris," the farm boy greeted, "what's up? You need something?"

"Nope!" Chris bellowed, making Rodney clap his hands to his ears and Beardo shoot awake with a scream of his own. "Just checking in on you guys to make sure you're A-OK! But since you seem to be OKAY," his yelling got even louder, and so did his grin, "I'll head out!"

His mission accomplished, he left the Rec Center. "Remember how I said I'd spare the campers in the trailers? Yeah, I changed my mind!" He jogged to the trailers and entered the boys one first.

"THIS IS YOUR NOON WAKE UP CALL!" He bellowed, "UP AND AT EM!" He slammed the door, ran to the girls, and did the same. Satisfied, he dusted his hands off and shot the camera his signature smirk, "I think my work here is done."

* * *

All the girls in the cabin had been startled awake. Jo, Sky, Izzy, Jasmine and Sammy all awoke with various levels of violent thrashing.

"Oh no, I've made a terrible mistake," Sammy said instantly, turning a rather horrible shade of green. She got up and stumbled out of the cabin, and she could be heard retching into the grass.

"Crikey," Jasmine groaned, resting an arm over her eyes. "I feel like I just went four rounds with a roided out kangaroo!"

Izzy pulled out a little green bottle and took a quick swig. Instantly, her color returned and she hopped out of bed, looking like a million bucks. "Ahh," she said, "that's better!"

"What is that?" Jo groaned, "and can I have some?"

"It tastes bad, but if you can choke it down, it helps with hangovers! Its a special homemade recipe," Izzy giggled, tossing the bottle to Jo.

Jo took a swig and nearly gagged, but pounded on her chest and forced it down. "Oh wow, that is better. What the hell is in that?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you!" Izzy told Jo. "But dang, I must have drank a lot last night, I don't remember anything!"

"Guys, you're all being really, really loud," Sky mumbled into her pillow. "Please, take it outside!"

Jasmine, being tough, had gotten out of bed. This led to another surprise.

"Shawn?" Jo gaped, "oh my GOD!"

A dazed and dizzy Shawn reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a purple wad of something. He popped one into his mouth and chewed down, and he instantly started looking better too.

Sky had sat up when she realized Shawn was there. "Wait, what?" She saw the drowsy boy in the trailer. "Jasmine!" Sky chided, "that's…gross!"

"Easy, guys," Shawn said, handing Jasmine another purple wad. "It's not what you think. I just passed out here."

"Sure it is," Jo said skeptically, "_sure_ it is…"

"Don't be immature," Jasmine said as she popped the purple wad in our mouth.

"When you left last night you were practically drooling over him," Jo told the Amazon, "you expect me to believe you just came back here and fell asleep? A likely story!"

"We weren't _that_ drunk," Jasmine said with a cross of her arms, "besides, if anything lewd like that were to happen, I'd reckon we'd need to look at the _other_ hook up of last night." She turned to look at Izzy, but the girl didn't seem to understand.

"Who else hooked up?" Izzy asked curiously, "I don't remember anything after drawing on Gwen's face with a Sharpie."

"Errr…never mind." Jasmine said, trailing off awkwardly. She looked down at Shawn, who was still relaxing in her bed, "I reckon you better skedaddle, Shawn. The other gals don't like you being here."

Shawn hopped up and realized he was still shirtless. "Crap, where's my clothes?"

The other girls were all in various states of undress too.

"Probably back in the Rec Center," Sky said, her face burning as she covered herself with a sheet.

"I'll go get everyones clothes," The zombie nut volunteered, heading for the door. "Be back soon!"

He exited the door at the same time as Owen. The big guy smacked a hand to his forehead in shock. "_Shawn_! What the heck, you sly dog!"

Duncan and Lightning stuck their heads out of the trailer at Owen's exclamation. Duncan let out a long whistle and Lightning shot the boy a dirty grin.

"Guys, it's not what you think," Shawn said, embarrassed. "I was just-"

"Clapping some Amazonian cheeks? Hey man, no judgement here," Duncan said, holding his hands up.

"Duncan," Owen scolded, "that's _lewd_!"

"Agh, that whistle was a mistake," Duncan said, ignoring Owen and holding his head. Shawn finally got a good look at his face and chuckled. "I forgot we drew on your face last night. Looking good, man."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He eyed the sky, which was grey. "Man, is it gonna rain?"

Lightning shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

The answer was yes. It was indeed going to rain. It started right around two PM. Everyone was recovering at different speeds. Some, like Shawn and Izzy, had their own cures that they were able to give to some others. Others, like Sky and Duncan, were having a much rougher go of it.

Everyone had regathered their clothes at the Mess Hall and eaten a little bit at the Mess Hall.

"Alright," Bridgette said, "I dunno about you guys, but I'm going to go snuggle up in the Rec Center and watch some movies."

Beardo looked out at the drizzly sky. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

"I'll get some snacks!" Owen said happily.

"Do you even have any Bux left?" Noah asked his friend skeptically.

Owen's face fell. "Aw, snap…"

Noah sighed and stood up. "Fine, you can use mine. I doubt I'll ever buy anything from there anyways. Let's go."

The two left and walked out into the rain, and the camera followed them.

"So," Noah elbowed his friend in the ribs with a smile, "last night was a pretty good night?"

Owen looked a little confused, "uh, I guess, yeah! It was fun partying with everyone."

"No, I mean when you and Izzy made out for a while," Noah told him bluntly.

Owen looked confused for another minute, before breaking out into chuckles. "Oh Noah, your sense of humor is so funny! You'd think after all this time I'd be able to tell when you were joking a little bit better!"

Noah looked confused now too, "Uh, I'm not kidding. Do you not remember?"

Owen shook his head, "I remember a lot about last night, but not that." He scratched his large chin, "maybe _you _drank too much?"

Noah rolled his eyes, "No way, I was like the most sober person there," he argued. The two neared the Tucke Shoppe, soggy from the light rain. He noticed something and let out a scoff, "dude, you've got hickeys all over your neck!"

"I do? Where?" Owen craned his head around, but was unable to look at his neck. The two entered the Tucke Shoppe and Noah brought him to a sunglasses display where a mirror was. Owen examined the dark spots on his neck with increasing confusion. "Man, I must've fell over last night when I was drunk or something."

Noah smacked his forehead, "Eight different times? C'mon, Owen."

Owen straightened from the mirror and turned to look at his friend, his tone gentle but stern. "Look, Noah. I _think_ I'd remember if I made out with the girl I've been secretly pining after. This isn't funny anymore."

"Owen, do you really think I'd lie to you about this?"

Owen hesitated. "Well…I don't _think_ so…but I've been wrong before!"

"Just ask her yourself, dude," Noah told him, "she'll tell you. Trust me, she seemed pretty into it."

Hope flickered across the big lug's face, "I dunno…"

Noah mentally reeled himself in. He couldn't force Owen to do anything, he reminded himself, and he had to do what he wanted to do. "Look, I'm just telling you my opinion. You do what you want, man," he said, clapping Owen on the shoulder. "I'll support you either way."

Owen beamed at his long-time buddy. "Thanks, Noah. I'll…try to remember, I guess."

"Good. Now let's get some snacks."

* * *

Bridgette, Rodney, Lightning and Beardo were all walking towards the Rec Center, ready for some good movie time. They were mostly quiet as they walked.

"How're you feeling, Beardo?" Bridgette asked the boy kindly. Beardo had definitely been on the slower end of the recovery scale.

"I've been better," the chubby boy admitted, "that was my first real experience getting wasted. While I don't regret it…man, I'm feeling the effects." He eyed the blonde up and down, "you seem to be feeling okay, though."

Bridgette put her hands in her hoodie pockets and shrugged. "When you've been dating Geoff as long as I have, you learn to party. If I ever drink too much, I usually just need one good puke to get it all out of my system the next morning."

Beardo wrinkled his nose. "Gross."

"Wait up, guys!" Came a new voice from behind the four. The group slowed and turned to see Sky walking up to them. She probably would've jogged, but she was still looking pretty rough.

Rodney flushed when he saw her. Lightning noticed this and rolled his eyes.

"Hey guys," Sky greeted as she approached the group. Her gaze quickly went to just Lightning, "hey Lightning, can we talk real quick?"

"Sure thing, Shorty," Lightning said, "lead the way."

The two broke off from the other group and began to walk away.

Bridgette noticed Rodney's flush and frowned a little, "Rodney…that whole kiss last night with Sky…"

Rodney's flush subsided as he took a deep breath. "I know, Bridgette," he said, his tone jovial, "she was trying to make Lightning jealous. Still though…" he shuffled his huge feet together awkwardly, "that was my first kiss," he confessed, "and to think it came from someone as pretty as her…well that's just pretty cool, I think."

"Awww," Beardo and Bridgette said at the same time.

"Man, you really _have_ changed," Beardo said happily. The trio continued their walk to the Rec Center.

* * *

Lightning and Sky walked towards the edge of the woods.

"So what's up, Shorty? Lightning would rather not be out in the rain too long," Lightning said with a look up at the clouds. "It looks like it's about to get worse."

Sky took a deep breath, as if she was collecting herself. "I…I just wanted to talk about last night."

"Lightning figured," he said with a nod. "Look, it's all cool. You don't owe the Lightning anything."

Sky waved away his words impatiently. "I know I don't, I know I don't. Look, just listen, okay?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow at her but let her speak.

"Everything's a little fuzzy, so I'm just gonna speak from what I feel." Sky told him, her tone a little nervous. "I always thought you were really cool, when I watched the show. You're super athletic, you're hot." She blushed, "I always imagined that if _I_ ever got onto Total Drama and we got on the same season, we'd be a pretty good couple. But I see now that that was kind of unfair of me. I've been trying to flirt with you, but haven't gotten any response back…which is okay!" She started to stammer over herself a bit, "like, you don't owe me anything I mean, like it's fine that you don't like me back, so I just wanted to say sorry…I guess." She hung her head.

Lightning blinked as he took in the information dump he had just been handed. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Sky was very intently studying a rock by their feet, waiting for his response.

"Look, Shorty," Lightning said, "Lightning didn't come here to get a lady friend. He came here to finally win, and maybe make up for his wrongs of the past, and show the world that he had grown up a bit."

"I know," Sky said unhappily, "which is-"

"Ah-ah-ah, the Lightning is _talking_," Lightning said pointedly, "and to be honest, he was pretty worried that you weren't gonna take no for an answer all season!" Sky flushed with embarrassment, but Lightning pressed on, "I'll be real with you. You're pretty darn _cute_. And you're tough and skilled. Lightning likes all of that! But he just isn't here to get distracted by things like that."

"I understand," Sky said sadly, "seriously, I don't blame you for that."

"But you don't understand," Lightning's tone got a little whiny, "cause Lightning's thinking he was wrong about all that. When you kissed Rodney last night…I mean damn! It really bothered him! Like, _really_ bothered him! Lightning wasn't expecting that…" he gave her a critical look. "So he's in a pickle. He obviously likes you, but he's worried it's gonna distract his game. So what should Lightning do?"

Sky was smiling a little, and finally looked up to meet his eyes. "Lightning, my last season was plagued with relationship troubles. Keith and I were doomed to fail from the start, and then all that stuff with Dave…yuck. But I _like_ you. I think it's really admirable that you want to change your wrongdoings from the past. And I mean, look at you!"

Lightning grinned and kissed his bicep, "Lightning sees what you mean."

Sky laughed and shook her head. "Look, whatever decision you come to, I'll respect it. But I will say this. If you wanna give it a try…I don't wanna let it affect my game either. Just consider this…maybe you and I could actually end up helping each other out, game-wise." She shrugged her small shoulders. "Just something to consider."

Lightning rubbed his chin. "I'll have to give it some thought." He finally said, "I'll letcha know, Shorty. Either way though, I think we can still be tight, you and I."

"I like the sound of that," Sky smiled, "kick butt no matter what?" She offered him a fist bump.

Lightning accepted it. "Sounds like a plan. Now get back to the Rec Center. Lighting's gonna do a quick run to clear his head. I'll meetcha there."

Sky nodded. "Ok, see you later."

Once she left, Lightning scratched the back of his head and looked up into the rain, obviously puzzled. "Sha-damn," he cursed, "this season is _not_ going how Lightning expected it!"

* * *

Gwen, Duncan, Bridgette, Beardo, Rodney, Zoey and Sky were in the Mess Hall. Everyone else besides Lightning, who was mid-run, had opted not to watch movies. Currently there was an argument going on between Zoey and Duncan.

"Be reasonable, Duncan!" Zoey chided, exasperated. "We're looking to relax and watch some movies on a rainy day! It is _not_ the time for slasher horror! It's freakin 4pm!"

"Well I am _not_ watching some froo-froo Disney movie!" Duncan shot back, stubborn.

"_Brave_ is not a froo-froo Disney princess movie," Zoey told him, "it's about a kick-butt Scottish princess that shoots arrows and stuff!"

"Lame," Duncan drawled, "childish _and_ lame. Didn't realize I needed to bring my pacifier and diapers to this movie watch!"

Color began to creep it's way up Zoey's neck as she got angry, something which Bridgette noticed.

"Cool it, Duncan," the surfer told him. "How about we watch a comedy? Everyone loves those, right?"

"I'd be down with a comedy," Rodney shrugged.

"Me too," Beardo agreed quickly.

"Hey, Slasher Camp IV, The Child Strangler has some comedic moments," Duncan said defensively.

"Dude, you need help." Sky told him.

Eventually it was decided that it would indeed be a comedy. They grabbed the VCR tape and put it into the old machine. They turned the lights down and Gwen microwaved some popcorn she got at the Tucke Shoppe.

Just as the opening credits were starting, the door banged open and Lightning entered, sopping wet.

"Hey Lightning, there's a towel by the microwave," Gwen called, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Sha-sweet," the jock toweled off and approached the couches.

"Saved you a seat," Sky told him, patting some empty couch next to her. The jock took a seat and they all quieted down.

The movie was actually quite funny, but Sky's favorite part was twenty minutes in, when Lightning finally put his arm around her shoulder in a suave, casual manner. She contained her happy squeal as she settled into his side.

It seemed he had made up his mind.

* * *

**Welp, there you go! Pretty different stuff from my usual style, but I'm pretty happy with how this turned out!**

**I wanted this first rest day to focus on Owen/Izzy, Sky/Lightning and Bridgette, but not actually wrap up any of their plots. Owen and Izzy had some lovey-smoochy time together, but neither remember it, and that will play an important part in the coming chapters. Sky and Lightning begin their relationship, but it's only the beginning. Bridgette finally gets a little bit of plot that will be explored more in the future, and some of the others get a bit of development as well. I also tried to be pretty funny, so hopefully I made some of you laugh! I especially enjoyed the Shawn twerking bit.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Be honest with me. Did you care about the stuff that happened this chapter? Are you guys really only interested in the eliminations and challenges? If you are, that's fine! But like I've been saying throughout the early parts of this story, I'm really trying to write a story and a competition story and flesh out the characters a lot.**

**Leave a review and let me know what you think! I'll try and get another chapter out soon, and the next one will be business as usual, format wise! Someone's gonna get booted! Who do you think it will be?**


	7. I Ski What you Did There!

**A/N 4-23-20: Holy shit this took so long to get out. I apologize, and there is one sole reason for its delay. The fucking challenge. I lost inspiration for it. It was a cool idea in theory, but terrible to write out. I wrote about 6000 words in just under 24 hours to finish it up once the challenge was over though, so yeehaw. **

* * *

**A/N Sometime in fucking December 2019: What's up guys? Time for a new update for this. I'm really starting to grow fond of this cast. It's gonna get tough for me to cut them at a way earlier stage than my previous comp stories. In Total Drama Chaos I didn't really start missing characters until the Final 12, and in DI the only ones I missed writing were the ones in the Final 9. (Plus Zeke) **

**Now, some of you mentioned how poorly the ROTI cast have been doing. In the past I've been super OCD about gender ratios and team ratios ETC. I'm throwing that all out the window for this story. If the story works best by booting all 6 ROTI people first, then that's how it's gonna go. Same with genders. If the Final 5 is best suited to five girls, then it'll be five girls! **

**Basically, I'm just advising you guys not to base predictions off of statistics, like "oh, since Team X has only Y amount of members from Gen Z, SoandSo isn't going to get the boot next time they lose." NO ONE IS SAFE FROM ME…MUAHAHA! **

**Now, I had a lot of fun writing last chapter, but it's time to get back to the nitty gritty. Someone's going home. **

***Insert generic reminder to vote on the poll and to review the chapter here***

* * *

The rain that had started as just a drizzle the afternoon of the Rest Day had persisted all throughout the night, and had only increased in it's viciousness. Rain lashed the trailers as the fifteen campers slept through the night. Fortunately, everyone was feeling back to normal after two nights of sleep.

The sun did not come out as a new day dawned on Wawanakwa, but the sky was illuminated by flashes of lightning.

"Sheesh," Shawn said as he peeked out the window, "I think I'm actually kinda _glad_ I'm not in a tree for this one." Ever the early riser, he and Owen were currently the only ones dressed and ready for the day.

"It has been quite a while since the Naturalist has seen such a storm," Owen agreed from next to Shawn.

"Ugh, it's also been a while since the Naturalist put a sock in it," Duncan complained, still under his covers.

"I wonder what kind of challenge Chris has for us today," Noah shivered, also still draped in his blankets.

The door to the trailer opened in a spray of rain. Beardo hurried in, his hair smashed flat by the weight of the water in it. The beatboxer had just come back from the bathroom, and was soaked to the bone. "Man, I knew I should've brought an umbrella!"

Rodney followed him in, also sopping wet.

"Sha-damn, I'm surprised you guys didn't get lost out there," Lightning said, clad in just his boxers. He scrambled out of bed and began to dress.

"It's not _that_ bad," Rodney told him, "like, you can still see and stuff. It's just windy and gross out."

Owen's stomach gave a loud rumble. All the other boys collectively took a step back. "Easy guys," he laughed, "It's just a hunger grumble, we're all good!"

The others relaxed.

"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too," Beardo said. He had grabbed a towel from his suitcase and was now toweling off his hair.

"Should we brave the storm?" Shawn grinned, making sure his beanie was snug on his head.

"Guess we should," Lightning said unhappily.

* * *

"Whew!" Jo pushed some sopping locks out of her eyes, "it's a _little_ wet out there!"

"You went for a run still?" Jasmine asked, a little surprised.

"Hah, a little _rain_ isn't gonna stop me from getting my workouts," Jo smirked.

"You sound like Eva," Bridgette said with a shiver.

"Who?" Jo asked.

"I'm surprised Chris hasn't called us for a challenge yet," Zoey said from her bunk. The indie girl was sitting criss-cross applesauce on her bunk, fully dressed. She fiddled with her long braid as she spoke.

Gwen sat up from her bunk. Her bedhead, already not great when her hair was short, was even worse now that it flowed past her shoulders.

"You look like a mad scientist," Sammy giggled, reaching out and touching one of Gwen's bent hair strands.

Gwen gave her a dry smile as she wriggled a hair tie off her wrist. She bunched up her hair and put it into her now-signature messy ponytail. "My hair and I have had long-term issues with one-another. It's never forgiven me for starting to bleach it when I turned twelve."

Izzy sprung over to the two girls and laughed, "my hair has always been crazy, but we have no issues."

"I would kill for your curls, Izzy," Sammy said wistfully, "I've got dumb straight boring blonde hair."

"Oh shut it, you," Jasmine said jokingly from the door, "your hair is beautiful. Now, we gonna brave this storm or what?"

"I'm not even dressed," Gwen complained.

"Well, anyone that's ready, let's get going," Jasmine told the trailer, "stay behind me, I'll try and shield you guys from the brunt of the storm."

Jo scoffed as she walked past the Australian and outside into the storm. "I don't need anyone to take hits for me, thank you very much," she told her waspishly.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and exchanged a wry smile with Zoey. "I was just trying to be nice, mate."

* * *

Ten minutes later, fifteen shivering, soaked campers found themselves in the Mess Hall.

"Breakfast coming up soon, come and get it!" Chef barked from the kitchen.

Owen, unsurprisingly, was the first in line. "Ooh, what do we get today? What do we get?!"

Chef appeared in the window with a big pot. "Oatmeal! Nice and hot. Perfect warm up fuel for a nasty day!"

"Oooh, yay!" Owen held out his bowl, and Chef plopped a large ladleful into it. As Owen happily went to the table to eat, Noah, the next in line, looked at the pot with mild interest.

"My my," the bookworm said in monotone, "is this actual, edible oatmeal?"

"You can have mystery meat if you _want_ it, Whiny Boy," Chef warned him, pausing in giving Noah his ladleful of oatmeal.

Noah smirked, tilting his head in submission, "I'm just kidding, Chef. By all means, ladle away."

Chef harrumphed, but filled his bowl all the same.

"Brr, Chef's right about one thing," Sky said once she got her bowl. "This'll warm us up nicely." She sat down on the bench next to Lightning, and scooted in close to him.

Noah gave the two a curious look, but ultimately said nothing and returned to his oatmeal.

"So," Rodney said, looking at his team, "looks like we might have a chance at being the Team Amazon of this season, eh?"

"What do you mean?" Zoey asked. "Team Amazon was a team in a previous season, right?"

"You never watched the old shows before you applied?" Sky asked Zoey curiously.

"I did, but that was a long time ago, and I only watched them once," Zoey told her, a little defensive.

"Team Amazon was a team on Total Drama World Tour," Noah told her, "it had Gwen, Courtney, Heather, Cody, and Sierra on it."

"And me!" Izzy chirped happily.

"Yes and Izzy," Noah agreed, "but you switched to our team in the first challenge."

"Cody?" Zoey questioned.

"Yeah, short guy, geeky. Fancied himself a ladies man." Noah said.

"I can't picture him," Zoey shook her head.

"He's the one who Noah kissed on the ear!" Izzy supplied helpfully.

Noah rolled his eyes, "Izzy, she's not gonna remember because of that, I mean come on-"

Zoey snapped her fingers in triumph, startling Noah. "Oh yeah! The guy Noah kissed, I remember _that_! I mean, it's an iconic Total Drama moment!"

Noah slammed his forehead against the table in defeat as Izzy erupted into maniacal giggles.

Zoey looked a little concerned by Noah's behavior, but decided to ignore it. "Err…back to the topic at hand, why does Rodney think we could be Team Amazon?"

"Team Amazon didn't lose a single person until the elimination before the merge," Rodney told Zoey, "they were the most successful, badass team in Total Drama history!"

"It's only been three challenges," Lightning rolled his eyes, "It's a little too early to be doing a victory dance."

"Feels like it's been six, honestly," Noah said, his voice muffled as his face was still mashed against the table.

"Still, we should try and keep the streak up," Sky said, her tone happy as she ate a spoonful of oatmeal. "We mesh pretty well as a team."

* * *

"Alright, guys!" Owen said happily, looking around at his teammates, "we've won the past two challenges, we're killing it!"

"We still have the least amount of players," Jasmine pointed out, "but yeah, we're doing well for being handicapped. Brick really hurt us when he quit."

"Well we can't really blame him for following his dream!" Owen told her, "I'm sure any of us would've done the same!"

"Meh," Shawn said, looking unconvinced. A clap of thunder shook the Mess Hall, and Owen and Bridgette jumped. The survivalists gaze found a window and he stared out of it. "Man, I wonder what kind of challenge Chris is gonna have cooked up for us."

"Probably nothing enjoyable," Bridgette sighed. She scraped the remnants of her oatmeal into a final spoonful and ate it. "But we just gotta keep up our winning streak…we have to."

Shawn and Jasmine shot each other a slightly guilty look, but said nothing. Owen, however, was as optimistic as ever.

"Pfft, of _course _we can keep winning!" He told her happily, "with our combined skills, there's no _way_ we can lose!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine sighs, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised Bridgette's figured out that she's the next gone if we lose again…it's tough, but with Shawn and Owen's friendship, it just makes sense to oust her next time we lose. It's a shame, cause she's a nice gal."

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)**

"I know I'm on the outs with my team," Bridgette sighed, "It just sucks cause they're all so darn likable. If we lose, they'll kick me out with sadness, which is almost worse than being voted off by someone who hates you!"

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

Things were pretty quiet over with Team Nuclear. Duncan and Gwen were sitting across from each other, though they weren't speaking. They weren't glaring at each other, though, so that was good. Sammy was also pretty quiet, and chewed her food with a thoughtful and slightly troubled expression.

Only Jo and Beardo seemed normal. The former had her finger in her mouth, trying to pry something out from between her teeth. "Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, her voice muffled, "but I don't think oatmeal is supposed to be _crunchy_."

Beardo took his spoon out of his mouth and twirled it with a sophisticated air. He hummed out a classical tune as he did this. "I think it adds character to the oatmeal."

"Why am I not surprised you're not a picky eater," Jo said flatly, finally securing the crunchy morsel from behind he molar and flicking it behind her shoulder.

"Ehhhh-haaaa…"

Jo and Beardo turned to look at the sound of the unexpected noise. The culprit was Sammy, who had just heaved a large sigh as she stirred her oatmeal.

"You good there, Blondie?" Jo asked, spooning another mouthful despite her earlier complaints, "we need everyone on their A-game today. We can't let those Alpha-turds get a 6-4-4 advantage on the playing field.

Sammy jumped, startled as four pairs of eyes snapped to her. "Me? I'm fine," she said quickly. "Just wondering what the challenge is gonna be today." She pointed out the window, where the rain still poured down from the dark skies.

"Well whatever it is, we'll make sure to kick it in the ass," Duncan said confidently. He finished his oatmeal and slid his bowl across the table.

"It's nice to see you ready to work for the team, I gotta tell ya," Jo said, "I was getting tired of seeing you moping around all the time."

Duncan squared his shoulders defensively, but before he could say anything, someone cut in.

"Shut up," Gwen told her, "don't stir the pot."

Jo raised her hands up in surrender, "I'm not trying to stir anything. Just stating my opinion, _which_ I'm entitled to."

"I wasn't _moping_," Duncan said through gritted teeth.

"Not to be a dick, but you totally were," Beardo pointed out.

Duncan's gaze snapped to the beatboxer. "Stay out of this, muffin-top," he snapped.

Beardo rolled his eyes, but quieted down.

Jo, meanwhile, glared down at the delinquent, who had returned to his meal with a sour expression.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

"Duncan's _up_ to something," Jo says suspiciously. "He _needs_ us, so why is he being so abrasive?"

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

"Now that I've got the most power on my team, I don't have to take any more crap from Jo or her stupid lackey." The delinquent raises both of his hands. "On this side," he shakes his left hand, "I've got Gwen who's promised to work with me, and I bet I could get Sammy with that too." He shakes his right hand next, "and I'm still technically working with Jo and Beardo too, though that arrangement is a little more shaky." He crosses his arms and leans against the side of the Confessional, a smirk on his face. "This game might just have gotten fun again."

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

"Alright campers, it's time for today's challenge," Chris announced. The host had just entered the Mess Hall and was dressed head to toe in hardcore rain gear. "But first, you'll need to all get changed into your swimsuits!"

That announcement as met with nearly a dozen protests from the cast.

Noah shook his head and crossed his arms, disgusted. "I'm not even surprised anymore."

"Why did I ever think coming back was a good idea?" Gwen groaned.

Some of the campers didn't look too affected by the news, though.

"It's just a little rain, guys!" Owen told the group.

"Yeah, piece of cake!" Jasmine said easily. From the seat next to her, Shawn nodded in agreement.

"We get it, you're survivalists! Not everyone _enjoys_ going through terror in the outdoors!" Sky told them, a little exasperated. Shawn and Jasmine just smirked at each other.

"Oi! We're on a schedule, guys," Chris told them, "let's get moving!"

Chairs scraped the floor of the Mess Hall as the fifteen campers headed towards their cabins to get changed. Heads buckled against the rain, they ran as fast they could to their cabins. After a quick trip to the bathrooms, they reconvened in the Mess Hall.

"So, what kind of uncomfortable, miserable experience are you gonna put us through this time?" Gwen asked dryly.

"That's for me to know, and you to soon find out," Chris said, flipping his rain visor down over his face. "Let's get going!" He led the others outside, towards the Dock of Shame.

"Brr, the rain gets chilly when it's on bare skin," Sammy said, shivering in her red-and-white bikini.

"Too bad Scott's not here to warm you up, eh?" Jasmine said, elbowing her smaller friend with a wink.

Sammy flushed, "Nuh-uh!"

"Sammy and Scott, sitting in a tree!" Izzy sang as she jogged by the two, "S-M-O-O-C-H-I-N-G!"

"Uh, that amount of letters doesn't work, Izzy." Bridgette smiled, looking more comfortable than most in her wetsuit.

"Yeah, and who are you to joke about smooching anyways?" Rodney said with a sly smile towards his fellow ginger. All he received in response was a blank look.

"What're you talking about?" Izzy asked, "Izzy can joke about whatever she wants!"

"No, I meant that you-"

"_And,_ we're here!" Chris announced as the Dock of Shame came into sight. Notably, there were three jet skis floating in the water.

"Jet skiing in the pouring rain, this is gonna be sweet!" Lightning grinned, "the Lightning is _ready_!"

Sky grinned at him and his optimism, something which Noah noticed. The bookworm's brow furrowed slightly, and he lightly grabbed Sky's arm and led her from the group a bit.

"Oh!" Sky jumped in surprised, a little alarmed. "Noah, what's up?"

"Didn't mean to startle you," Noah said, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes, "just had a quick question for you."

"Okay, shoot…" Sky said, looking a little confused.

"Everything good with you and Lightning?" Noah asked, opting to go for an unexpected angle.

"Huh? Yeah!" Sky said, "we're good. Great, actually!"

"Oh? That's good to hear! What happened?" Noah said with a smile, "I noticed things were a little awkward between you two for a while."

"We had a good talk, and we think we're gonna try it out!" Sky said happily. A quick look of shock passed through Noah's face, but Sky didn't seem to notice. She opened her mouth to continue, but a flash of suspicion flickered across her face. "Say, why are you so interested anyways?"

Noah gave her an easy smile, "well it helps my game if you two are together, honestly," he told her.

"Oh really?" It was Sky's turn to look surprised, and the suspicion returned full force. "And how do you figure that?"

"I'll be honest with you, I tried to get Lightning into an alliance early on." Noah told her. "But he was distracted by you and turned me down. Maybe now that that's all cleared up, we can team up and dominate the team."

"Aren't you and Izzy in an alliance?" Sky asked him.

"Not officially, we're just friends. Mostly through Owen." Noah said baldly, "Besides, Zoey's hiding it pretty well, but she wants Lightning outta here. I'd say we take her down first. Then Rodney. Then Izzy."

"And what happens when it's just the three of us? No offense, but you'd be outta here." Sky told him.

"I'll hedge my bets on that," Noah shrugged, "I don't see us losing four times before the merge unless we really start sucking balls. Lightning's physical, I'm mental, and you're a good combo of both." Sky smiled appreciatively at the compliment, "And that's not even counting our other teammates, all of whom are pretty skilled in one way or another. I see it as a pretty much guaranteed merge for us. If we do make the merge, we take it on until the final three."

"That's…a pretty solid plan, actually." Sky admitted. "I'm down."

"Great," Noah said, looking over his shoulder as Chris approached. "Talk to Lightning about it, he seems to get annoyed whenever I bring it up, but I bet he'll listen to you."

Chris poked his head over the bookworm's shoulder. "Excuse me, Chatty-McChattersons…I'm trying to start a challenge here. Ya done blabbing?"

"Sorry!" Sky said bashfully, walking over to the rest of her team.

"What the heck did Noah want?" Lightning whispered to her.

"He asked me about some strategic stuff," Sky whispered back, "I'll fill you in after the challenge."

"If Team Alpha is all done _chatting_," Chris said, annoyed, "I will explain the challenge!" He gestured to the three jet skis. Predictably, one was gold, one was orange, and one was purple. "Each team will elect a driver of the jet skis. The driver will take one team member through the lake in search of letters." Chris paused to let that information sink in. "The letters will spell out "VICTORY" and there are three complete sets. You may not take duplicates. First team to gather all the letters wins the challenge!"

"And the last team to collect them all loses?" Zoey asked.

"Nope. Whichever team is farthest from completing the word once a team wins will lose. If it's a tie, we'll go to a tiebreaker," Chris told the group. He giggled and rubbed his hands together, "which will be _awesome_."

"Psst," Owen whispered to Jasmine, "when Chris says 'awesome', it's usually not that awesome."

Jasmine giggle-snorted. "Yeah, we kinda learned that on Pahkitew, mate."

"Where are the letters kept?" Jo asked, squinting through the pouring rain towards the lake. "I can't see anything out there."

"They're hanging from little drones suspended over the water. When you're going twenty miles an hour through a raging rainstorm, visibility will be just about zero. You'll need expert reaction time from both drivers and skiers to avoid wiping out into the drones. If a drone goes down, the letter floats in the water and will be pretty much impossible to find and recover."

"This is a fairly simple challenge," Rodney smiled, "I think we got this, guys!"

"I think you're underestimating how tough it is to see, Rodney," Chris said with a little grin. "Choosing your driver could make or break your run. Like I said, if a letter goes down, it's likely curtains for that team! With that being said, who's gonna drive? I'll give you guys a couple minutes to decide."

"Alright team, meet up!" Lightning said, pounding his knuckles together. "Who's gonna drive?"

"Oooh, I can do this!" Izzy said happily, raising her hand.

"I dunno," Zoey said uncertainly, "I think you'd be good at skiing. I'll do the driving!"

"Oh ho, challenging me, are you?" Izzy grinned. She flexed her right arm. "I'll arm wrestle you for it."

Zoey shrugged. "Sure, let's do it."

The four other members of Team Alpha looked on, a little incredulous, as Izzy and Zoey lay down on the Dock of Shame to brace their elbows.

"Why don't you drive, Lightning?" Rodney asked.

"We need someone like him on the skis," Noah told Rodney. "Physical challenge's aren't really my strong suit, and you don't look like the most nimble guy. I dunno how much help either of us will be on this challenge."

"Pfft, Forehead has a point," Lightning agreed.

Grunting noises were suddenly heard, and Rodney, Lightning, Noah and Sky turned to look at Izzy and Zoey, who were locked in a ferocious arm wrestle. Their elbows slipped on the wet wood and their arm veins bulged as they struggled. However, it was pretty clear who was getting the upper hand.

"Sorry," the winner said, slamming the other's hand into the Dock. "But I think this is better for the team."

Izzy winced as she rubbed her hand. "Fair enough, I've been bested!"

"Alright, Zoey drives," Noah said. "Hop on."

Zoey nodded and nimbly leapt off the Dock onto the jet ski. Her butt skidded a little on the wet seat, but she stuck the landing. She squinted into the dim light. "Man, visibility really is bad, isn't it?"

"That's what I've been saying," Chris said flatly. "Oddballs, Nuclears, who's driving?"

"Let me drive this one guys," Bridgette said, "I'm comfortable on jet skis but I'm a little clumsy. It's probably better for all of us."

"Sounds good," Owen gave a thumbs up.

Shawn nodded, and Jasmine added, "no problems here."

"Beardo's driving." Jo said to her team.

"Who died and made you leader?" Gwen scoffed.

Jo crossed her arms. "You want him trying to balance on jet skis? Dude can barely balance himself on _dry land_!" She paused and looked at her alliance member with the slightest hint of sheepishness. "Uh…no offense or whatever."

Beardo shrugged. "Can't say you're wrong," he admitted. "I'll do it."

Jo smirked at the rest of her team. "See? Told ya!"

Beardo and Bridgette climbed onto their jet skis.

"If a member wipes out or spends five minutes unable to locate a letter, they must return to the Dock of Shame." Chris told them. "Any letters found on the return trip will not be allowed to be collected."

Lightning, Jo, and Shawn were the first up for their teams, so they hopped into the lake and situated themselves on their jet skis.

"Ready…set…go!" Chris yelled.

The three drivers revved their jet skis and sped off into the dark rain.

From the docks, the nine campers squinted into the rain. Unfortunately, they weren't able to make out much.

"Damn, I sure hope Team Alpha screws up for once," Duncan muttered, giving a side-eye to the foursome of Rodney, Noah, Sky and Izzy. "We really gotta trim them down a bit."

Sammy tapped her chin thoughtfully. Gwen noticed and elbowed the girl slightly, smiling.

"Whatcha thinking about, Sammy?"

"Oh, nothing…" Sammy sighed, tapping her fingers together. "At least, hopefully it's nothing…"

Gwen looked confused, but offered no further comment.

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

"I dunno why, but ever since I put together the pieces to eliminate Duncan I've been having all these…ideas." Sammy admitted, her tone hesitant. She looked down in shame, pondering her next words. "And they're not really nice ideas, but at the same time I think they're pretty good. I dunno what to do…"

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

Zoey sped through the rain, her face steely. Lightning easily rode the choppy waters behind her, a matching expression of determination.

"We're running out of time!" Lightning yelled to her, his voice barely carrying over the wind and rain. "You see anything?"

"Not yet!" Zoey called, "We just have to keep…whoa!" She swerved hard as a letter "Y" materialized out of seemingly nowhere. Her exceptional reflexes were just enough to keep the jet ski from clattering into the drone, and Lightning's equally impressive reflexes allowed him to dart out a hand and snag the balloon. The cord connecting it to the drone snapped easily, and they sped away in victory.

"Yes! Sha-got it!" Lightning hooted. "Who's the man?!"

Zoey ignored him, and instead turned around towards where she thought shore was. Unfortunately for her, the viability was so poor that she couldn't tell which way was which.

"Uh oh…you wouldn't happen to know the way back to the Dock, would you?" Zoey hollered over her shoulder.

"Sha-what?"

Zoey sighed and ran a hand through her wet hair. Suddenly, a neon flash erupted in the distance, and for a split second the Dock was visible right underneath it.

"The Dock! That way!" Lightning screamed.

Zoey didn't need to be told twice, and turned the ski towards it.

* * *

"My eyes!" Jasmine groaned, knuckles pressed into her sockets as she hunched over in pain. "You bastard, you coulda warned us about that!"

"Whoops," Chris said innocently, removing his sunglasses from his face. "Must've slipped my mind!"

"Oh that hurts," Gwen said, her face stuck in a permanent wince.

A few seconds went by before the roars of the jet skis were heard over the whistling wind.

"And here they come now!" Chris announced.

Shawn was the first to leap off his jet ski, landing gracefully on the slippery dock. He showed Jasmine and Owen the letter "C" he had collected.

"Nice work, babe!" Jasmine cheered, and the two high-fived.

"I'm next, I'm next!" Owen hooted.

Shawn bent down and tied the balloon to a dock post with the Oddball logo on it. Next to him, Lightning tied down the "Y" he had acquired.

"Well, that bit," Jo grunted. The "O" she had gotten was around her neck like a bizarre life-preserver. She tried to get it off, but it was stuck. "Blech, someone get this thing off of me!" Duncan walked over and were able to finally pry it off. Jo cursed under her breath as she tied it to her team's post.

"I'm impressed," Chris told them, "everyone was able to find a letter on the first go! Time for the next skiers."

Owen, Sky and Gwen were next, and their drivers sped off into the rain.

The camera focused on Team Alpha as they went, and showed Gwen squinting out over the water as Beardo sped around on the jet ski. A balloon appeared out of nowhere, but Gwen wasn't quick enough to grab it. "Turn around!" She yelled to Beardo, but the driver's floppy hair was now soaked, and covered his ears. He didn't hear her.

Gwen growled in frustration, determined to catch the next one. Unfortunately, they drove over a particularly choppy patch of water, and Gwen was unable to keep her feet. She crashed into the water with a hard splash. She surfaced, spluttering, and smacked the water with her palm in frustration. "Dammit!"

Another jet-ski zoomed past her, soaking her again.

The camera panned to said jet-ski to see Sky determinedly riding through the wind and rain. Despite her best efforts, though, she was unable to locate any letters. Soon the neon flash appeared, and everyone sped back to the dock.

"How did our skiers make out?" Chris asked as the campers disembarked.

"Woohoo!" Owen dangled the V balloon he had located. "Two for two, baby!" He highfived a smiling Jasmine.

"And Oddball pulls ahead of the other teams," Chris said, a little surprised. "Let's keep it moving, guys!"

Jasmine, Duncan, and Izzy hopped on the skis and sped off, and the camera did a quick cut to them returning to the dock.

"Looks like every team was successful in finding a letter," Chris narrated as Jasmine added a Y, Duncan added a T, and Izzy added a O.

"Let's go, guys. Keep it up!" Jasmine said, clapping her hands encouragingly. "Shawn, go get 'em!"

"Yes ma'am!" Shawn barked. Noah and Sammy joined him on the skis and they sped into the rain.

"Ow. Oww. Owww." Wave after wave smacked directly into Noah's face, stinging his eyes with salt water. "Owwwww."

"You doing okay back there?" Zoey hollered back.

Noah spat out a mouthful of water. "Peachy." He called. "Just great, thanks."

Zoey hit a sharp turn and Noah's skis left the water. He smashed headfirst into the water, but somehow held onto the rope and was able to right himself.

Over with Team Nuclear, things were going a little more smoothly. Sammy and Beardo had located the letter V, and were currently swinging around to go for an attempt to grab it.

Sammy reached out a hand and was just able to snag the balloon.

The neon flash erupted in the sky, and the teams headed back.

Sammy brandished her V, Shawn his I, and a roughed up Noah merely coughed up some more water.

* * *

**(Confessional: Chris.)**

"Heya folks," Chris greets the audience, "On account of this challenge being…rather repetitive to watch, we're going to skip ahead a bit! Please enjoy this montage of all the hilarious things that happened to our campers."

**(End Confessional: Chris.)**

* * *

The montage of wipeouts and fails began.

Beardo turned a little too hard in the water and skidded off the actual jetski. He made a baleful siren noise before being silenced by the choppy water. Jo, who was on the skis behind him, crashed into the now stagnant jetski and also bit water.

Noah went over to talk to Izzy about something, but slipped on the wet Dock and wiped out into Sky, sending both of them into the water.

Owen jumped a little too enthusiastically onto the skis from the dock, and the pressure of his weight caused the ski to rocket out from under him, nearly decapitating a terrified Bridgette.

* * *

The camera finally cut back to Chris, smiling at the camera, "well, after a grueling four hours, our campers have finally made some progress! Team Oddball is one letter away from victory, needing only the "R" balloon! Team Nuclear and Alpha need two, with Team Alpha needing V and C, and Team Nuclear needing I and Y! Let's see how our contestants are holding up."

"Alright guys, all we need is one more letter, we got this!" Jasmine said, looking a little worn out.

The same could be said for all twelve campers that had been subjected to driving on the jet skis. It was taking a toll on all of them, even the stronger ones like Lightning and Jasmine. Noah had taken to sitting on the Dock, being too tired to stand.

"Alright, breaks over kiddos," Chris called, "back on the skis!"

"My ass is chafing," Bridgette whined, gingerly settling herself back on the jetski.

"Same," Beardo groaned.

Shawn, and Sky hopped onto the skis, but Sammy was distracted by looking at the pillars where the balloon letters were tied.

"Hey, Sammy!" Beardo called, "let's go!"

Sammy turned to Beardo quickly with a sheepish smile, "oops, sorry!" She hopped on the ski and the three riders sped off into the rain.

The camera zoomed in on Sammy and Beardo as they sped through the choppy water. A golden glint caught Beardo's eye, and he whipped the ski around to go back. Sammy squinted through the rain and saw what looked to be the letter "V". She reached out to grab it, but Beardo pulled away at the last second, and Sammy just missed it.

"What are you doing?" Sammy hollered to Beardo.

"That's the V," Beardo shouted over his shoulder, his raspy voice hard to hear over the roar of the ski. "We don't need that!"

A bunch of possibilities ran through Sammy's mind. "No, it's the Y! We need it! Circle back!"

Beardo looked a little confused. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! I saw it! Go back!" Sammy's barked, her tone a little harsher than she perhaps intended.

Beardo flinched and circled back quickly. Sammy reached for the drone, but fell off the skis and crashed into the small drone. Balloon, drone and girl crashed into the water.

Beardo ground the jetski to a halt. "Oh snap, you okay?"

Sammy surfaced and pushed her blonde locks out of her face. "Whoops! Yeah, I'm okay!" She looked down for the balloon, but it had floated away on the water. "Oh no, I lost the balloon!"

Beardo made a censored noise. "That's not good…" He reached down and helped Sammy out of the water. "Let's get back to the dock."

As the two sped off. The camera panned to a golden glint in the distance. IT zoomed it to show the balloon, which was an unmistakable V.

The three jet skis returned to the Dock.

"Did you get it?" Owen asked excitedly.

Shawn stepped onto the Dock, tired and empty-handed. "Couldn't find it. We checked the entire south west side." He turned to look at Jasmine, who was up next. "Check north east next, okay?"

Jasmine nodded.

"Let's go!" Sky cheered, a C clutched between her hands. "Just the V to go!"

Sammy looked defeated. "I lost a balloon, guys!"

"No way," Jo groaned.

Gwen gave the twin a disappointed but patient look. "What happened?"

"I slipped going for it and crashed into the drone." Sammy explained. She hung her head in shame. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it ain't over till it's over." Beardo said. "We can't give up yet!"

"Tubby is right," Duncan agreed, stepping up. "Let's find the other letter, and then we'll worry about the lost letter."

"Alright, let's go!" Chris clapped his hands. "I'm already sick and tired of standing out here. Someone win already!"

Jasmine, Duncan and Rodney headed onto their skis and headed out. Unfortunately, a tiring Jasmine was caught off guard by Bridgette's start, and the Amazonian slipped and fell into the water with a large splash.

"Crap!" Shawn ran up to the edge of the Dock. "You okay, Jaz?"

"Ugh, I'm fine. Just slipped." Jasmine groaned. "Crap! I hope Rodney doesn't find the last letter!"

The camera split to show Duncan and Rodney racing through the lake. Grim determination filled their faces, though Duncan's quickly changed to one of excitement. He yelled to Zoey and they swerved towards it. Duncan snatched up the letter "I" and gave a whoop of excitement.

Rodney, on the other hand, was not as lucky, and he found himself empty-handed.

"Ooh, its narrowed down to each team needing one letter!" Chris grinned. "Who will win? Let's find out now!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

Gwen is sopping wet and extremely irritated. "He should _not_ have said that."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

"It's now been _two_ hours," Chris griped. "And no one has found their last letter. Are you guys joking right now? Do you _like_ being out here?"

"Oh shut up," Jo snapped. "Excuse us for not being able to find a goddamn balloon in a _lake_ during a rainstorm! What kind of stupid challenge is this anyways?!"

"I agree with Jo, which is not something I thought I'd ever say," Noah griped, now lying on his back on the Dock. His past three attempts had resulted in him falling immediately, and the bookworm was on the verge of passing out."

"Fine," Chris pulled out three small devices and threw them to the drivers. "These will give you a localized area to search. It won't give the exact location but it'll narrow it down. Just end this thing already."

Owen, Gwen and Sky stepped up.

"Alright Bridgette, you got this!" Owen said, "Just lead us to the bacon, baby!"

Gwen and Beardo were pretty defeated, as they were pretty sure their balloon was floating in the waves somewhere, and would be much harder to spot.

"Remember, we need a V. We got this," Sky told Zoey. "Let's get this win."

The horn blew, and the three sped off.

The camera decided to stay with the campers on the Dock instead of the campers on the water.

Over on the Oddballs, Jasmine was shooting Sammy a concerned look. "I'm worried about her, babe." She told Shawn quietly. "If they lose, she's probably gone. And she doesn't even look that worried…"

Shawn looked over at the Nice Twin, noticing that she indeed wasn't looking too concerned. If anything, he could've sworn he saw a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. "Weird," the scruffy boy said, matching Jasmine's concerned look with one of his own.

Over with the Alpha's, Rodney and Lightning were excitedly talking about their odds of winning.

"Sky has got this," Lightning said confidently, "Sha-definitely!"

"Yeah baby, another win in the bag, easily," Rodney agreed.

"It isn't over till it's over," Noah said from his place on the ground. "Don't get cocky."

Jo had pulled Duncan aside over on Team Nuclear. "If we lose the challenge I think we're all in agreement with who's getting the boot, right?" She said quietly, thumbing over her shoulder at Sammy.

Duncan shrugged. "Yeah, she screwed up. Seems fair."

"Good," Jo slapped the delinquent on the back. "Glad we're in agreement."

The neon flash erupted into the sky, and it wasn't long before a team arrived back on the Dock.

First to step on was Owen. He was beaming as he held up a shiny, glittery "R" balloon.

Shawn and Jasmine cheered as Owen ran over and tied the balloon to the post. "Nice job, Owen!"

Chris clapped politely. "And Team Oddball completes their word! However, they aren't guaranteed safety because if Team Nuclear and Team Alpha also complete their word, we move onto the tiebreaker!"

Next to arrive at the Dock was Sky and Zoey from Team Alpha. The looks of excitement on Rodney, Lightning and Izzy's face quickly faded as they took in Sky's empty hands.

"I don't know what to say," Sky said shamefully, "Zoey and I searched the entire area, but we couldn't find the last one."

"Seriously, we covered that entire area!" Zoey said earnestly. "That device Chris gave us was faulty!"

"Ok, maybe all hope isn't lost," Jo said, "we can just beat them in a tiebreaker." She gave Sammy a pointed look. "You might've just dodged a bullet there, Blondie."

Sammy gave her a rueful smile, "we'll just have to see…"

The final jetski approached the Dock and Gwen hopped onto the Dock.

Gasps rang out.

"We got it!" Gwen cheered, brandishing the letter "Y".

"No way!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Yeah, the weird thing was," Gwen started to say, but a quick eye contact with Sammy made her falter. The blonde subtly shook her head. Confused but getting the message, Gwen changed tracks. "Uhhh, yeah. Just got lucky I guess."

"Super lucky," Beardo agreed, "I couldn't see squat, next thing I know Gwen's whooping and hollering."

"And it looks like Team Oddball and Team Nuclear tie for first!" Chris announced, "Which leaves Team Alpha as the losers! You'll be voting someone out tonight."

Team Alpha collectively groaned, while the other teams broke out into celebration.

"Alright," Chris continued, "I'm going the hell inside. This weather _sucks_."

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"Somethings up…" Gwen said suspiciously. "I _didn't_ find the balloon in the water. It was hanging from a drone like normal. Why would Sammy want me to not say that? It means she didn't mess up! Unless…" She furrows her brow in thought, but doesn't say anything else.

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah sighs, looking exhausted. "Of all the days to have to put this plan into action, it has to be the one where I'm wiped out." He rubs his hand over his face, "Welp, looks like it's go time."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

Lightning was reclining on one of the couches in the Rec Center. He was idly bouncing a rubber ball against the far wall and catching it in his hand, trying to keep himself entertained.

The door opened behind him, and Lightning's arm froze. He turned his neck to look over his shoulder and saw Sky standing there, still damp from the challenge.

"Hey!" She said happily, walking over and plopping down beside the big jock.

"Hey Shorty," Lightning said, draping an arm around her as she settled into him. "Tough loss today."

"Yeah," Sky said, letting out a disgruntled sigh, "I can't believe I failed like that."

"Don't sweat it," Lightning said, "Zoey messed up top. Not that it matters. Scrawny guy is outta here."

"Scrawny guy?" Sky repeated, a little confused. "Oh! You mean Noah? Why him?"

"Pfft, ain't it obvious? He was useless today! He didn't grab a single letter. The rest of us are all champion athletes, or at least useful like Izzy." Lightning shrugged his massive shoulders. "Besides, something about that guy I just don't trust…"

"Oh…" Sky said, a little uncertain, "actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Noah actually approached me before the challenge and proposed a pretty good idea."

Lightning glanced down at Sky, a skeptical look on his face. "Oh? Let Lightning hear it."

"He wanted to team up with us." Sky explained. "And vote Zoey out tonight, because she doesn't like you."

Lightning mulled that over a few seconds, his brow furrowed. "Sounds kinda shady…" Lightning said, "Noah still seems like the better target. Like the Lightning said, he just don't trust him!"

"It was a really good plan, though." Sky pressed on, refusing to budge. "He said that we stick together to blindside Zoey, then we pick off Rodney and Izzy if need be. It's unlikely we'll lose three times before the merge happens, so that means the three of us could continue through the merge, maybe all the way to the Final Three!"

"That sounds like a good plan," Lightning admitted, "Almost _too _good…Lightning doesn't trust it!"

Sky stood up, exasperated. "Well I don't want to vote for Noah!"

Lightning groaned, also exasperated. "Well the Lightning doesn't wanna team up with Noah!"

They glared at each other for a few seconds.

"So what do we do?" Sky asked finally. "Will you at least meet me half way and vote for Zoey? We don't have to team up wit Noah if you don't want to."

Lightning huffed and puffed, but eventually relented. "Fine. Lightning'll vote for Zoey this time. But Noah next time, got it?"

"Deal," Sky agreed, and the two high-fived, exchanging a smile.

* * *

**(Confessional: Lightning.)**

"Sha-mmm! Shorty got some fight in her," Lightning exclaims, looking a little annoyed at first. The annoyed expression quickly melts off his face, replaced with a goofy smile, "Lightning _likes _that!"

**(End Confessional: Lightning.)**

* * *

"Another big win, baby!" Owen cheered. "Let's go!"

Currently all four members of Team Oddball were in the Tuck Shoppe, picking out some snacks to celebrate their win streak.

"And Sammy is safe too, which is a relief," Jasmine added. "I'd feel awful if she were to get eliminated so early off an honest mistake."

"Yeah, it all lucked out for us," Shawn agreed, pulling a bag of chips from the shelf to add to his basket.

Bridgette was on the other side of the shop looking at the drinks cooler. "You guys want Root Beer or Orange?" She called to them.

"Why not both?!" Owen replied, as enthusiastic as ever.

"Go for root beer," Shawn said with a suave look at Jasmine. "I like my soda like I like my girlfriend…sweet…and _dark_."

Owen erupted into laughter while Jasmine slapped her hand across her face. "Shawn, mate," she said, looking both humored and offended at the same time. "Just…_no_…"

"Too much?" Shawn asked, a little sheepish.

"By a mile," Jasmine replied, giving Shawn an affectionate noogie.

* * *

While Sky and Lightning continued to canoodle in the Rec Center, Noah had convened the rest of the Team Alpha in the girls trailer. Noah and Rodney made themselves comfy on the floor, while Zoey and Izzy sat on their respective beds.

"Okay guys, I found out some worrying info today," Noah told the group, "and that's why I've called you all here."

"Ooh, is it that the monkey's are invading China?" Izzy asked earnestly, "because let me tell ya, Noah…that is _so _last week's news!"

Noah shot the ginger girl a weird look, "errr…moving on…it seems that Sky and Lightning have started up a little romance."

"Huh, really?" Zoey asked. "I didn't notice anything today with them, they seemed as normal as they have been. What makes you so sure?"

"She basically told me when I asked," Noah explained.

"But why is that a bad thing?" Rodney asked, "Love is the best! We should be happy for them!"

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was worried you'd feel that way…" He looked up at the big farm boy. "Look, Sky and Lightning are two of the most threatening people to ever play the game. If they're working with each other unconditionally with no threat of backstab, they're going to be near impossible to beat…_especially_ when the merge comes."

"Well then we just boot Lightning," Zoey said easily, "I'm fine with that."

"That's the thing," Noah said, "I don't think we should eliminate Lightning. I think we should go for Sky."

"Isn't Lightning the way bigger threat between the two, though?" Rodney asked, "by that logic, I think Lightning would be the best person to target too."

"Look, I'm still a team player here," Noah said quickly. "After this, in my ideal world we don't lose another challenge until the merge. I want us to keep winning, and I think Lightning will help way more than that because, as you guys both said, he's the bigger threat."

Zoey drew her knees up to her chest, a little unsure. "I dunno," she said, "Sky's really nice, and Lightning's just…not."

Noah took a breath and chose his next words very carefully. "Here's the way I see it." He told them. "There's three main reasons I think it's better we keep Lightning over Sky. The first is that Lightning is straight up better at challenges than Sky. I sincerely doubt Lightning would've failed at finding that last balloon today. Sky did fail."

"That's not fair," Zoey argued, "she and I _both _searched the entire area. I'm telling you, it wasn't there."

"Be that as it may," Noah continued dismissively, "Lightning is more of an asset. Point number two: the other's reaction to the elimination of their new beau. Lightning will be upset, sure, but he's so competitive it won't affect his contributions to the team. Especially if we can convince him that us voting out Sky somehow came from the words of another team."

"Gee, Noah, that's pretty dastardly of you." Rodney said nervously.

"Just because the strategic highlight of _your_ season was a psycho trying to kill you all doesn't mean a little skullduggery makes me a villain," Noah said calmly. "The fact is, just as Lightning is better in challenges, Lightning is less likely to have his performance and contribution hampered by the exit of Sky."

"Gee, Noah, you've really thought this all out!" Izzy said, munching on some popcorn she had retrieved from her blankets. "What's next, what's next?!"

"The final point is that I've already talked to Sky and Lightning and sent them a red herring. Just hear me out, cause it sounds bad at first." Noah looked to the others. "Okay?"

Rodney and Zoey exchanged dubious looks, but let the bookworm speak.

"I told Sky and Lightning I wanted to team up with them, and that we should probably vote for you, Zoey." Noah had the good sense to look a little sheepish.

"What!" Zoey exclaimed, "Noah, come on!"

"I know, I know, but I had to," Noah explained. "Now that leaves us wide open to take out Sky."

"You're going to use me as a scapegoat to Lightning," Zoey accused.

"No, I won't," Noah said quickly. "Seriously, all we need to do is break up this duo. I'm not asking for a big alliance or anything, but it's better for all of us if we do it."

"I'm still not convinced it's smart to boot Sky over Lightning." Rodney admitted. "Lightning in the merge would be pretty devastating for all of us…"

"I"m not saying to let him get to the merge!" Noah retorted, his frustration finally starting to show. "But he's gonna be way more useful to us. Why is this so hard for you to understand?"

Zoey groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Fine! Okay, fine!" She removed her head from her hands and glared at Noah, "but I'm only doing this because you've put me in their crosshairs! I can't _believe_ you did that without talking to me first!"

"I'm sorry," Noah apologized. "But I made a spur of the moment decision after realizing they've gotten together."

Zoey let out a 'humph' and stood up. "Well, see you at dinner, I guess," she said coldly. She took her leave.

"Wait, one more thing," Noah said, and Zoey paused in the doorway. "Sky's gonna blame me when this goes down. I need you guys to just keep quiet when that happens. We gotta wait until she's gone to try and convince Lightning it was the fault of someone on the other team, okay?"

Zoey let out a disgusted noise. "I can't believe I'm going along with this!" And left the trailer with a slam of the door.

Rodney let out an awkward cough. "Uhh..yeah…see ya guys." He left as well.

That left Izzy and Noah in the trailer.

"I can't believe they fell for that," Izzy giggled.

Noah raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well that argument was pretty weak, Noah," Izzy said baldly, "I mean, first you said you were looking out for the team, then you said you weren't proposing a big alliance! What kind of contradictory phooey was that!?"

Noah rolled his eyes and stood up. "Okay Izzy, whatever you say."

Izzy let out a mischievous chuckle as Noah headed for the door. "You've grown, my sneaky young padawn…you've grown."

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah scoffs. "I'm not sorry at all for that," he admits, "I don't know Zoey, and I don't owe her anything." He punches his palm with his hand. "I'm here to _play_ this time around, and I need to set myself up for later on in the game. All I have for friends here is Owen and kind of Izzy, but Owen's on the other team and, even if we all make the merge, if they're back together by that point I'll be the odd man out; the third wheel." He shakes his head. "This is just phase two of this little operation," he smirks, "the best is yet to come."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

The Mess Hall was empty except for Chef, who was cooking dinner and humming to himself as he listened to music through his AirPods.

The camera turned to the door as it opened. Sammy and Jasmine entered and walked over to one of the tables.

"What did you wanna talk about, Jasmine?" Sammy asked, a little confused.

"Huh?!" Chef barked, noticing the two girls sitting at the table. "You two say something? I couldn't hear you because I was listening to my AirPods!" For emphasis, he pulled the case out of his pocket and brandished it at the girls.

"No, we weren't talking to you, mate." Jasmine told him, turning back to Sammy.

"Well, good! Cause I was listening to music! On my AirPods!" Chef told them. "Now, if you'll excuse me! I'll go back to listening to music! On. My. _AirPods_!" He gave the case a final, defiant little thrust in their direction, as if they hadn't properly grasped what he was doing.

"Err…right," Jasmine and Sammy shared as slightly concerned look. Once Chef had put his AirPods back in (he left the case for all to see on the counter), the two returned to their conversation.

Or…they tried to. The door opened again and Gwen walked in. She noticed the two sitting and quickly made her way over to them. "Sammy! Can I talk to you for a second?"

"We're actually in the middle of something, Gwen," Jasmine told the goth politely. She pointedly turned back to Sammy, "now, about the challenge…"

"That's what I wanted to talk about," Gwen interrupted, seating herself at the table. "What the heck was up with that, Sammy?"

"Uh..up with what?" Sammy said innocently, though the nervous look on her face didn't do her any favors, "What do you mean?"

Jasmine shot an appraising look at Gwen, but decided against speaking out against her presence in the conversation.

"What I mean is, you and Beardo said you knocked a balloon into the water, but I found our balloon tied to a drone." Gwen told her, "so what happened?"

"Ohh, that!" Sammy chuckled, still nervous. "Yeah, well I guess the balloon I accidentally knocked down was the V that Team Alpha needed, but I thought it was the Y we needed to win. Ask Beardo, we had a whole conversation about it on the skis!"

A look of realization passed through Gwen's face. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "that makes so much sense!" She let out a laugh, "_that's_ what happened! Why were you acting so weird about it, then?"

Sammy let out a final nervous chuckle, "I dunno, I was just so relieved, I guess…"

Gwen smiled and stood up, giving the girl next to her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. "Well, don't stress. We're safe, and that's all that matters!"

Sammy smiled gratefully at her, and Gwen turned to Jasmine with a smile of her own. "Good job today too," the goth told the Ozzie.

"Thanks," Jasmine smiled, "take care."

Gwen nodded and turned to leave, but accidentally made eye contact with Chef. Quick as a flash, Chef yanked his AirPods out and all but shoved them in Gwen's face before she could extricate herself from the situation.

Once that had finished and Sammy and Jasmine were alone again, the Nice Twin turned back to her best friend. "So what did you want to talk about, Jasmine?"

"Well, that, basically," Jasmine admitted, drumming her large hands on the table. "But I gotta say…something doesn't add up."

Sammy tensed, not daring to say anything.

"Is there something else you wanna tell me, Sammy?" Jasmine said cautiously, "I've got an inkling on what might've actually gone down, but I'm not gonna drag it out of ya."

Sammy looked up at Jasmine, and the taller girl was surprised to see nervous excitement on the others face.

"Okay, okay," Sammy whispered, looking around nervously despite the fact that they were alone. "Well…Beardo thought it was the V, the one we didn't need, and I kinda thought so too…but I saw at the post that the only letter Team Alpha needed that both teams had was the V…so I thought maybe if it fell into the water, we'd be able to win the challenge." Sammy's face was a mixture of shame and excitement. "I didn't think it would work so well…"

Jasmine let out a low whistle, "so let me get this straight, you sabotaged Team Alpha's chances to win? I dunno whether to be impressed, surprised, disappointed, or all three."

"I only did it because they were looking so unbeatable!" Sammy defended herself. "I would never do it to you or anything."

Jasmine raised her hands up in surrender. "Oi, no judgement here, Sammy. Actually, that was a pretty great plan, even if it was a bit dodgy on the morals."

"Oh, Jasmine," Sammy let out a huge sigh, "That's such a relief to hear! I was worried you'd think I was turning into my sister or something…"

Jasmine giggle-snorted. "Like she could ever come up with something that smart."

The two shared a good laugh. Looking much more comfortable now, Sammy rested he elbows on the table and put her head on her palms. "It's just, ever since that plan to kick out Duncan worked so well, I've been getting all these ideas. Being around Scott probably didn't help either."

"Well you play your game, Sammy," Jasmine said warmly, "I'll be here to check you if you get too outta line, though. Don't turn into a scumbag on me!"

Sammy giggled. "I'm glad I'll have you watching over me." Her smile faded a little, "will you keep this a secret between us, though?"

Jasmine smiled, "even Shawn?"

Sammy thought about it for a moment, "no, Shawn can know. He's a good guy and I trust him. But the other members of your team…"

"Don't worry, gal pal. Your secret's safe with me!" Jasmine said, standing up.

"You're the best best friend ever, Jasmine!" Sammy gushed, and the two shared a warm embrace.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine is chuckling. "Who woulda thought that Sammy could be such a little stinker! I'm honestly kinda proud of her." She settles down and cracks her knuckles. "Anything to help her grow into her own person. She's had enough of people telling her what she can and can't be. If she wants to scheme a little bit, who am I to stop her?"

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

The rain had finally quieted down a little to a gentle sprinkle by the time dinner rolled around, and a gentle sprinkle was all that bothered Team Alpha as they sat on their stumps at the Bonfire Ceremony.

"Not much of a Bonfire tonight, sadly," Chris said, looking at the wimpy embers of the fire. He pulled out the tray with five marshmallows on it. "Little dark out here, sorry guys."

"It's fine," Izzy said happily, "I've got night vision!"

"Super cool," Chris did not soon very interested. "That's why you get tonight's first marshmallow." He tossed a marshmallow to the crazy girl.

"Ooh, yay!" Izzy grabbed the marshmallow and swallowed it in one bite.

Chris picked up another marshmallow. "The second marshmallow of the night goes to…Rodney."

"Haha, sweetness!" Rodney cheered, catching a marshmallow in his beefy paw.

"Also safe tonight is Lightning."

"Sha-duh," Lightning grumbled.

"Noah, Sky, Zoey, no marshmallows for you guys yet. Feeling nervous?" Chris asked the three.

"Nope," all three said at the same time. All three looked startled at the others confidence, and Sky and Zoey started to look a little worried. Noah remained unbothered.

"The penultimate marshmallow goes to…Noah."

Noah raised a hand and caught the treat without a word.

"Sky, Zoey, this is the final marshmallow of the night. Whoever doesn't receive it will have to leave via the Dock of Shame." He glanced between the two girls. "You guys were finalists in the last season you competed on, and now one of you will be the first booted from your team. Life's a b-word, huh?"

"Just give me the marshmallow already," Sky said impatiently.

Zoey rolled her eyes and remained silent.

"The final marshmallow goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Zoey!"

"Sha_-WHAT_?" Lightning bellowed, instantly hopping to his feet.

"Yeah, wait a second, how the hell did this happen!" Sky snapped. She turned to Noah. "You did this!"

Noah put his hands up. "I don't know _what _the hell happened."

"Yes yes, shocking as ever," Chris said tiredly. Sky's luggage had been brought over by an intern. "The fact remains you've been eliminated Sky, and you gotta go!"

"Tell me the vote count!" Sky demanded. "Tell me!"

Chris shook his head, "Can't disclose that information I'm afraid." He eyed Sky carefully. "Am I gonna have to have Chef restrain you?"

Sky took a deep breath and clenched and unclenched her hands a couple of times. "No. Fine. I'll leave." She turned a betrayed look at her team. "I can't believe you guys did this to me!" She gave Lightning a sad look. "I'm sorry, Lightning."

"Shorty, you ain't got nothing to apologize for." Lightning assured her, glaring daggers at the rest of the team. "Lightning's gonna avenge you."

Sky grabbed her luggage and turned to leave. "Well, goodbye I guess. Traitors." She turned and began to walk down the Dock.

Lightning jogged past the others to catch up with Sky before she hopped onto the boat.

"Sky, I'm gonna win this for you," he promised her.

"I know you will," tears of disappointment dusted her eyes, and she angrily wiped at her eyes. "I just…I just wanted to stay longer…"

Lightning reached out and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. "Well, let the Lightning give you a little goodbye gift." He reached down and kissed her. It was a little sloppy, but he got the message across.

They parted, and a crimson Sky looked at a loss for words.

"See ya around, Shorty." Lightning said with a small smile, "I'll call ya."

Sky shook her head and smiled. "Okay, bye Lightning." With that, she boarded on the Boat, and it sped off into the distance.

Lightning rejoined the rest of the team. "Mark my words. Lightning'll find out who did this, and he'll make them pay." He warned, storming past them towards the trailers.

"Ooh, vengefulness is always juicy," Chris chuckled, noting the nervous looks a couple members of Team Alpha were shooting amongst themselves. "Team Alpha, you may go."

As Team Alpha dispersed, he turned to face the camera. "With that, each team has now lost a member. Four down, thirteen to go. Who'll join the losers next? Find out right here, _next time_ on Total! Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

Sky angrily wiped the tears from her eyes as they sped through the water. "It's just so unfair!" She screamed into the night, startling Chef in the drivers cabin.

"Ya lost, girlie, get over it." Chef grumbled, "now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna put in my AirPods so I don't have to hear anymore of your screaming."

"I bet it was Noah who betrayed me," Sky continued to rant. "Or that bitch Zoey convinced him it was smarter to separate Lightning and I! But why me? Lightning's the bigger threat!" She kicked the side of the boat and turned to glare into the camera. "When I find out who did this, they're gonna _pay_."

* * *

**Voting Confessionals:**

Izzy: Wowee, Noah's strategy is so crazy it makes me look sane! Heehee! Anyways, I'll play along for now...I vote for Sky!

Lightning: The Lightning don't really agree, but he votes for Zoey. If it were up to him, he'd be votin for Noah!

Noah: Phase Two is almost complete. I vote for Sky.

Rodney: Man, this is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be...I'll let Noah think I'm playing along, but I don't trust the guy. I vote for Noah. I don't think I can vote Sky off after she was my first kiss...it just wouldn't be right.

Sky: Sorry Zoey, but you gotta go! Nothing personal, girl.

Zoey: As much as I'd like to vote for Lightning, Noah raises a couple good points. Plus, he kinda has me in a corner here. I vote for Sky.

* * *

**Votes:**

_Sky - 3 votes: (Izzy, Noah, Zoey)._

_Zoey - 2 votes: (Lightning, Sky)._

_Noah - 1 vote: (Rodney)._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Rodney, Izzy, Noah.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Jo, Sammy, Beardo.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination:**

I originally had Sky being the first merge boot in an early draft, but that was when Lightning/Sky was way more of a slow burn. I decided to change it up a bit and make them hook up much earlier. Thus, I didn't think I could make them interesting enough to last until the merge together. It was a tough call because either Sky _or_ Lightning could've been eliminated here, but I ultimately chose Sky because I think theres more I could do with Lightning outside of one half of the ship wanting vengeance for a betrayal.

* * *

**Well, I'm so sorry for the delay. I'm gonna make it up to you guys, but I'm kind of at a turning point with this story. I'm basically writing this for the fandom, as I have it all planned out for me. Are there enough people interested in this for me to make a serious effort in continuing and completing this story in a reasonable amount of time? With quarantine especially, I could probably churn out a chapter once or twice a week, and would likely have the motivation to if I knew people were hinging on this story. So just let me know one way or another how invested you are. My plan is, regardless of feedback, to get the next chapter out by next Friday.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed. Reviews are much appreciated, and remember to vote on the poll in my profile for this story if you haven't already!  
**

**Stay healthy and safe,**

**Knifez**


	8. Trivia-L Trials and Tribulations!

**Alright! Like I said, a quick update! Thanks so much for all the support on the last chapter, I really appreciate it. You guys are the prime motivation for me to crank out words. **

**IMPORTANT: After this chapter will be the first Aftermath, which I'm actually really looking forward to writing. The Peanut Gallery will be revealed and the first five eliminated campers will be interviewed.**

_**Remember, this is the last time you can vote on the poll to choose the Peanut Gallery! **_

**8th place in the poll currently has 27 votes. 13th place has 24. It's so close, and remember only ten can get in! Vote for your favorites or they might just miss out!**

**This challenge will hopefully be much easier to write. Fingers crossed! **

**Now, without further ado…let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

The drizzly rain that had plagued the campers on the day of Sky's elimination had finally faded, but the mood across the camp was definitely stormy. The sun peeked over the horizon as the door to the boys trailer opened. Out came Shawn and Owen, looking fresh and ready to start the day.

"So," Shawn said as the two began their walk through the woods. "What's new, Owen? We haven't been able to chat much the past couple of days because of the Rest Day and the rain yesterday."

"Oh y'know, things have been going good!" Owen said happily. "This might be my favorite team I've ever been on, even more than Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot!"

Shawn chuckled, "I appreciate that man, we do have a pretty sweet group going on. I might even trust you guys in the Z-pocalypse!"

The two walked deeper into the woods, enjoying the fresh air and taking in the sunlight. To the left of them, up high, a tree rustled. Owen and Shawn looked unconcerned as a large figure dropped out of the tree, landing right next to Shawn.

"Good morning, Jaz," Shawn greeted, "sleep well?"

The Amazonian Ozzie brushed a couple of leaves off her hat. "Well enough. How about you guys?"

"Not great," Shawn admitted. "Lightning was in a pretty terrible rage last night."

"Yeah, I can't believe Sky got eliminated," Jasmine agreed. The three continued to walk. "Y'know babe, with Sugar not competing and me outlasting Sky, you're the only one from our season I haven't out placed."

Shawn gave her a cocky little smirk. "I wish you the best of luck."

"You guys are so adorable!" Owen gushed. The thought of couples seemed to remind him of something, and his happy expression was replaced with a sombre one.

Shawn noticed, and looked at his friend curiously. "Everything okay, Owen? You suddenly look all bummed out."

Owen heaved a great sigh, slowing to a stop. "Well, Noah told me something weird the other day," he admitted.

Jasmine and Shawn exchanged slightly bewildered looks.

"Uhh, what'd he say?" Jasmine asked curiously.

Owen's face got a little color in it as he stared at the ground. He seemed to be fumbling for his words, but eventually was able to get out a "Well…y'see, he said that Izzy and I," he chuckled nervously, "well, he said Izzy and I _made out_ when we were super drunk!"

Jasmine and Shawn's confusion only grew.

"Okay?" Shawn told him, "and then what?"

Owen also seemed confused. "What do you mean 'and then what'! Thats ridiculous! I don't remember dong that!"

"Uh, you definitely did make out." Shawn told him bluntly, a small smile on his face. "Like…a _lot_."

A flush started creeping up Owen's large neck. "Wha…huh…I…" He suddenly smacked his forehead. "Great Michigan Mozzarella! Why hasn't she _said_ anything to me?"

"Well if you were too drunk to remember, maybe she was too?" Jasmine suggested helpfully. "Why don't you just talk to her about it?"

"Aw jeez, I dunno if I could do that," Owen exclaimed nervously, "I mean, we haven't been together in _years_! We've both had relationships since then too."

"You should go for it!" Shawn argued, "what's the worse that can happen?"

Owen gulped. "You obviously don't know Izzy very well."

* * *

The rest of the boys were still getting up in the trailer. Rodney was sitting at one of the lawn chairs at the big wooden table, sipping from a glass of water. Duncan was next to him, tying his shoelaces.

Over on the beds, Noah was sitting on his bunk with his blankets wrapped around his head, bags under his eyes.

"Time for another great day," Beardo said happily, reaching up from his top bunk and fluffing out his afro."

A loud thud got everyones attention. Lightning had thumped down from his top bunk, startling the others. The big jock straightened up and leveled a glare at the chubby soundboard. "You dare say the day after Shorty leaves is a great day?" He accused. "Sha-unreal!"

Beardo winced, "Uh…I didn't mean it like that, Lightning."

"Save it, Tubby!" Lightning snapped.

"Listen, man," Duncan warned, coming to the defense of his teammate. "Don't involve us in this. Team Nuclear had nothing to do with your stupid girlfriend getting voted out."

Quick as a flash, Lightning was in Duncan's face. The much taller young man was snarling down at him as the delinquent glared back. "What did you just call her?" Lightning growled.

Duncan stared up at him, a little wary but unafraid. He held his ground. "Your girlfriend obviously messed up if she got eliminated. Its just a game. Deal with it like a man."

"You better watch your mouth, Punkboy," Lightning warned.

Duncan just scoffed. "I met dudes half your size that were _twice_ as scary in prison. Back off."

Lightning said nothing, opting to bump Duncan out of his way with a broad shoulder as he exited the trailer.

Duncan watched him go, rubbing his now sore shoulder. "Jeez, good look dealing with him today," he told Rodney and Noah.

As Rodney chuckled nervously, Noah was staring pensively at his hands, his mind racing.

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

"Alright," Noah says, a slightly nervous expression on his face. "It's time for Phase Three…well sort of. I need to enact it the next time we lose, which hopefully won't be a for a while. Extra time will give me a better chance at thinking of a way to pull this off with minimal damage." He's silent for a second before raising an eyebrow at the camera. "What's my end goal, you ask? Simple, and I've already mentioned it several times. Ally with Lightning. He's the most threatening person in the completion. No one else really gives him a run either, except for maybe Shawn or Jasmine. He'll be an invaluable ally…and an excellent meat shield. With everyone targeting him, especially if he makes the merge, he'll be great to have in the forefront while I slip by unnoticed." He sighs, "but in order to make that happen, I'm gonna have to get a little nasty…which is a lot of work, unfortunately."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

"Whoopie!" Izzy cheered, leaping from her bed and doing an exuberant front flip onto the wooden table. "It's time for another excellent day!" She turned her head to Zoey, "Apprentice, today we need to work more on your training!"

"Training?" Jo asked curiously, "you guys working out? Can I join?" She seemed to realize her eagerness and coughed a couple of times, "I mean, not that I like having workout buddies or anything…"

Izzy shot Jo a goofy grin, "We have secret training, Jo-mama! No one else allowed, sorry! It's a team Alpha secret!"

Not looking to pleased with her nickname, the jockette left her bed and swiped up her toiletry bag. "Whatever, if you freaks wanna be all secretive…"

"Ugh, I dunno if I'll be up for training after having to deal with the team today," Zoey admitted, looking a little tired as she brushed out her waist length cherry-red hair.

"What do you mean?" Bridgette asked, forgoing a brush. Her hands worked on autopilot with a hair tie, putting her pretty blonde hair into her signature ponytail.

"I bet Lightning wasn't too happy that you kicked off Sky." Gwen guessed. "They were cuddling when we watched that movie couple days ago."

"Bingo," Zoey confirmed, "though I would've preferred to vote off Lightning, I guess the team had other plans…"

"Can't say I blame you, though," Gwen told her friend, "I mean sure, Lightning can be a bit of a prick, but he's so strong."

"I dunno," Bridgette offered, exchanging her light blue pajama top for her light blue hoodie. "Letting Lightning get to the merge is kinda risky."

Zoey let out a disgusted scoff, an unnatural sound from her normally kind mouth. "That is _not_ going to happen," she said with fierce determination. "He's next to go on the team, I don't care _what_ anyone says."

Izzy, who was now juggling two of the lawn chairs, let out a little chuckle. No one paid her any mind.

Sammy, meanwhile, was on her bunk with her arms wrapped around her knees. The now familiar conflicted expression etched on her normally nervous face.

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.)**

"What I did…" the nice twin starts out the Confessional still in her pajamas. "My actions yesterday led to Sky, someone I respect, getting eliminated! And broke up a couple!" She slaps her forehead. "Ugh! I feel awful!" She lowers her hand and moves it across her body to grab the elbow of her other arm, a nervous habit. "But at the same time, I know it was a really good move for my team. They're now a total mess and will be easier to beat in challenges." She lets out a huge sigh. "I don't know _what_ to think…"

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

Half an hour later, all the contestants had convened in the Mess Hall for a nice breakfast of slightly burnt pancakes. Owen, safe to say, was in heaven.

"Eating pancakes," the fat boys lips were trembling as he sat down with his team, his plate comically overflowing, "in the Mess Hall," a shuddering breath wracked his body, "reminds me of the good ol' days of Total Drama Island," a lone tear slid down his cheek and plopped onto a pancake as he squeaked out a sob. "Pardon me!"

"You and I remember Total Drama Island _very_ differently," Gwen told him with a wry smile. "I also remember those pancakes tasting like crap." A sizzling pancake caught her in the face, courtesy of Chef. "Ow!"

Duncan pried the pancake off her face and dropped it onto the goths plate. Gwen winced as she rubbed her slightly singed face. "C'mon," the ex-con said playfully, "we had _some _good times back then. Remember when you gave a convicted killer a concussion?"

"That was hardcore!" Izzy agreed.

"Oh my god Gwen, remember when we had a bet on who wrote those mysterious love poems? I thought it was Geoff and you thought it was Trent?" Bridgette chuckled, "oh man, we were pretty dumb, huh?"

"Hey, it wasn't too far-fetched of me to think that Trent wrote those, him being a lyricist and all," Gwen defended herself, though she too was smiling. "Geoff on the other hand…"

All the Generation I campers except for Noah shared a laugh. "I'll never forgive him for blue-balling me," the bookworm grumbled to himself.

"God, and it turned out to be that dork." Duncan said fondly, crossing his arms. "Who woulda thought that Doris had a way with words?" He shook his head, "I wonder what the little squirt is up to now."

"I have about two dozen guesses, and none of them are kind," Noah quipped.

"Like I said," Duncan repeated himself, "we had _some_ good times back in Total Drama Island."

"The best times," Owen agreed, "like when we all got stranded and confessed our sins!" He was instantly double smacked in the face with two pancakes, one each from Duncan and Gwen.

"We swore we'd never talk about that again," Duncan told Owen, deadly serious.

"What was said in that cabin _stays_ in that cabin," Gwen agreed. The two exchanged a look and a smirk at their pancake aim.

There was a bizarre sucking noise as Owen inhaled both pancakes off his face and down his gullet. "Right, sorry," he said sheepishly, once his face was pancake-free. His appetite now wet, he dug into his plate. The pancakes began to disappear off his plate at an alarming rate.

"Man," Beardo said, addressing his team as everyone began to eat in earnest. "Y'all have so much _history_."

"You sound jealous," Jo noted.

"Hell yeah I'm jealous!" Beardo's voice held a surprising amount of gusto, "I've struggled all my life constructing relationships with people. Every time I try, I feel like I," he mimicked a plane falling through the air and crashing disastrously. "Blow it."

"Well you haven't blown it yet," Duncan pointed out, as blunt as ever. "I mean sure, we're not buds or anything, but you're an ok dude."

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you genuinely compliment someone," Gwen noted, looking at the delinquent in surprise. Duncan shrugged in response, not looking too bothered by her words.

"Wow. Thanks, Duncan," Beardo said, looking very pleased indeed. "I appreciate that!"

"Look at Duncan being all nicey-wicey," Jo mocked, "it's All-Stars all over again."

Duncan winced at the memory, "Let's change the subject."

Jo laughed and stuffed her mouth with a bunch of pancake. "Vnder ut tuddeh khlenjuh gun brr," she attempted to say, little bits of pancake landing in Beardo's afro.

"Uh…come again?" Sammy asked, sharing a revolted look with Gwen.

"Dude, you got a little pancake," Duncan told Beardo, motioning to his afro.

"Hm? Oh, thanks," Beardo said. He shook his head, and the crumbs went flying. Everyone scattered to avoid the tainted morsels.

"Eww!" Sammy and Gwen screeched, moving their plates out of the way at the cost of getting dusted.

Jo swallowed and laughed. "Haha! Nice one, Beardo."

"Sorry," the big guy apologized sheepishly.

"I said, I wonder what the challenge is gonna be today," Jo repeated.

"Hopefully something that doesn't involve jetskis," Gwen grumbled.

* * *

**(Confessional: Beardo.)**

Beardo sits Indian style in the Confessional, humming an upbeat tune. "Y'know, when I first saw this team, I was really worried that all the strong personalities would make it tough to make friends." He beatboxes a noise that sounds like a huge bomb. "Y'know, us being _Nuclear_ and all. But it actually ain't been so bad recently! It started off rough, but Gwen and Duncan seem to be on civil terms. Sammy's an angel, and Jo…" he chuckles a little, "well, she's abrasive, that's for sure. But I think deep down she means well….really _really_ deep down."

**(End Confessional: Beardo.)**

* * *

"And even though I was so behind, I was able to get Top 8 and get into the finals," Bridgette concluded her Surfing tourney story to her enraptured teammates.

"That's unbelievable," Shawn said, "you went through two boards and a jellyfish horde and still beat out that asshole Jerry?"

"Yeah," Bridgette grinned, a rare expression of pride on her face. "I wouldn't have made it without Liza's help though."

"That was seriously cool of her to help you out," Owen told her happily. "Did she make the Top 8 too?"

"She did," Bridgette told him, "I ended up actually making the podium and getting 2nd in the Finals. Liza got 3rd."

"Who won?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"Some American guy," Bridgette remembered. "It was his first tournament and he's like mega-famous now. Some young prodigy. He smoked all of us."

"What a great story," Shawn complimented.

"She and Geoff are the coolest," Owen gushed. "They've traveled all over the world and have so many great stories!"

"That's right, Geoff was on that show you were on, right?" Jasmine dunked a chunk of pancake in some syrup and took a big bite. "That race one?"

"Mhm," Owen said, his mouth also full. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. "He won it!"

Jasmine let out a low whistle. "So, you guys must be rolling in the big bucks, huh?" She asked Bridgette.

Brigette flushed a little, "I mean, not really. Sorta. He and Brody split the prize 50-50, so they each walked away with 500 grand. He and I went on a nice trip to France, but other than that he's been surprisingly smart with it."

"I know, I saw him a couple months after the Race and he seemed different," Owen piped up. "In a good way, though."

Bridgette nodded, a fond smile on her face. "I think getting that much money was a bit of a wake up call for him. Made him realize that he should probably start learning how to be an adult." She turned to look at Shawn, "speaking of, you're a winner too. What did you do with the money?"

"Well, I tried to give Jazz half of it," Shawn explained, "but after the awkwardness that happened in our finale, we had to compromise at 20%. I thought I'd have to spend all of my money on the bunker, but Jazz and I ended up building it our self and it was _way_ cheaper." Shawn shrugged, "so we went on a backpacking trip across Europe. Saw some cool mountains, ate some great food."

"It was _amazing_," Jasmine supplied helpfully.

"That's great you guys," Owen gushed.

Jasmine let out a goofy giggle-snort, "if you had told me when I was younger that I'd meet my dream guy on a reality TV show, I'd have clocked your jaw in. But here we are."

"If you had told me five years ago that a girl would stop me from performing my zombie cloaking routines, I'd have called you braindead," Shawn agreed.

"Zombie cloaking routines?" Bridgette asked, a little curious.

"Basically having zero hygiene whatsoever." Jasmine but in.

"Hey, it wasn't _no _hygiene," Shawn defended himself, looking a little embarrassed. "I brushed my teeth…and flossed."

"Crikey. In that case you were basically sterile," Jasmine said sarcastically.

Bridgette chuckled. "Geoff went from two showers a week to four after we started dating. Something about men just make them inherently more…gross."

"We just don't think about that stuff," Owen told his team. "It's not intentional!" As if to prove his point, he let out a loud belch.

Bridgette wafted her hand in front of her face. "Right…"

"Eh-herm!" Came a new voice from the entrance to the Mess Hall. Everyone turned to see Chris standing there in all his hostly glory. "Good morning, campers," he greeted. "Ready for another challenge?"

"Bring it!" Rodney said confidently.

"Oh, it will be brung," Chris assured him. "If you will all follow me to the auditorium."

"Oh no," Gwen groaned, "don't tell me its another talent contest?"

"You'll have to wait and see," The host fired back, a smooth grin taking over his face. "Let's go."

* * *

The group arrived at the auditorium. The team logos flashed to life over their respective groups. "Today's challenge will be done in two parts." Chris explained as the camera panned over all the contestants.

The auditorium itself was currently blocked off their view by a large curtain, so none of the campers could see what was behind it.

"Izzy, stop that," Chris scolded. The zany redhead paused in her efforts to sneak away from the group and get behind the curtain.

"Sorry," Izzy said, not looking very sorry at all.

"Now, as I was saying," Christ continued, "the first part of the challenge will crown one team the winner, and they will not have to participate in Part Two. The two teams that duke it out in Part Two will fight for safety. The losing team boots someone. Capice?"

The campers all echoed various noises of acknowledgment, so Chris grabbed the curtain that was covering the auditorium. "Now, let's see what you guys will have to face! It's…" he tore the curtain down. "Total Drama Trivia!"

Noah clapped his hands triumphantly. "Finally, something I can get behind."

Chris held up a little bag. "Before we begin, we need to even out the teams a little bit." He approached Team Nuclear. "Five rocks in here. One's white, the rest are black. The person who gets the white rock sits out the challenge."

All five members of Team Nuclear stuffed their hands in the bag and pulled out a rock.

Duncan, Gwen and Beardo revealed black rocks. Sammy and Jo exchanged a look before opening their hands.

"Looks like I'm sitting this one out," Sammy said, holding up the white rock for all to see. Her tone suggested relief.

"Fine by me," Jo said, tossing the rock back into the bag as Chris approached Team Alpha.

"Imagine me actually not wanting to get out of a challenge," Noah remarked, sticking his hand in and grabbing a rock.

"I'd be happy to sit this one out," Rodney said nervously, his enormous wrist momentarily getting stuck in the bag. "Last time we had a challenge like this, I didn't do too well."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about rabid chickens this time, bud," Izzy grinned.

The members of Team Alpha revealed their rocks.

"Oh come _on_," Noah complained, holding the white rock. "Dammit!"

Zoey didn't look too stoked either. "Dang, your memory is great. You would've been awesome in this challenge."

"I know," Noah complained. "Just promise you won't hold my unwilling lack of participation against me."

Lightning snorted. "No promises."

Noah sighed.

"Don't worry, Noah!" Izzy said happily. "I've got this in the bag!"

"Alright. Noah and Sammy, take a seat on the bleachers," Chris told the two. "The rest of you, follow me onto the stage."

The auditorium was hardly recognizable. It looked like a set straight out of Family Feud, with three sets of four podiums lined up in a row. At the center of the stage, there were three single podiums facing each other. Chris walked over to a gold podium, situated above the others.

"Welcome our teams to the first ever Total Dram Trivia!" Chris's voice was suddenly cheesy and a little greasy. "Welcome our competitors today, Team Oddball!"

Canned applause rang throughout the auditorium as the members of Team Oddball waved awkwardly at the nonexistent audience.

"Team Nuclear!"

More canned applause, and only Beardo waved to the imaginary crowd.

"Anddddd, Team Alpha!"

Izzy blew kisses and Rodney waved happily. Zoey looked a little awkward while Lightning just scowled.

"Now, let's get this show on the road. If you'll choose a podium."

Team Alpha lined up with Rodney on the far left. Izzy was second in, Lightning third, and Zoey on the far right.

Team Nuclear had Duncan on the far left, with Beardo second in, Gwen third, and Jo on the far right.

Team Oddball chose to put Jasmine on the far right. Owen was next, then Bridgette, and Shawn on the far right.

"Alright, let's have the first group of contestants up," Chris grinned. "Shawn, Jo, Zoey, come on _dowwwwwn_!"

The three campers left their podiums and met each other at the podiums set up in the center. They faced each other, a little unsure of what was going on.

"Here's how it works," Chris said, "each podium here has an electronic keyboard. When you hear th question, type in the answer and submit. The first person to guess correctly will receive two points. The second person to guess correctly gets one. Last gets zilch!"

"What happens if the first person who guesses is wrong?" Jo asked.

"Then the two points will go to the first person to get it right." Chris explained. "And there is no penalty for typing in a wrong answer. If everyone gets it wrong, no one gets any points and your turn is still over. Understood?"

The three nodded.

"Now, the name of the game is: Placements and Eliminations!"

"Excellent," Jo was confident, "this is right up my alley!"

"First team to reach 5 points wins the challenge and won't have to compete in part two." Chris told them, "so its a pretty quick round. Alright, here's the question. Give me the _number_ of contestants that, excluding _this_ season, made it to the merge in every season they competed in. They must have competed in more than one season to be eligible!"

Jo, Shawn and Zoey instantly started scribbling. Shawn slammed his button first, followed by Zoey. Jo was just behind them.

"Alright, Shawn is up first, how many did you say?"

"Seven," Shawn replied. On the screen above the podiums, a little box appeared that said "Shawn: 7"

"Seven?" Jo repeated, surprised.

"Zoey, how about you?"

"I said six," Zoey said, now looking a little uncertain.

"That's what I said too," Jo admitted. "Duncan, Owen, Zoey, Alejandro, Mike and Scott."

Zoey slapped her forehead, "Oh, I forgot about Alejandro!"

Jo looked surprised. "Who'd you have that I didn't?"

"Cameron," Zoey replied.

Jo's face fell. "Ah, damnit…"

"Shawn is correct," Chris confirmed. "Owen, Duncan, Alejandro, Zoey, Mike, Scott and Cameron are the only contestants to make the merge in every season they competed in more than once. Two points to Team Oddball. Alpha and Nuclear, zero."

The Oddballs clapped and cheered as Shawn rejoined the podium. He gave them a thumbs up.

"Let's have the next group up: Bridgette, Gwen and Lightning!"

The three jogged up to the podium, all looking determined.

"Alright you guys, ready for the question."

"Bring it!" Lightning exclaimed, his tone and facial expression determined.

* * *

**(Confessional: Lightning.)**

"Just because Lightning is mad at his team for betraying him doesn't mean he ain't gonna give his all in the challenges," Lightning says sternly, arms folded over his chest. He strokes his goatee. "He'll wait until after to get to the bottom of what happened. But for now, it's game time."

**(End Confessional: Lightning.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.)**

"It looks like Lightning isn't going to throw the challenge, which is a relief," Zoey guesses. "I was hoping he'd be the one to sit out, since he's not that smart to begin with." The redhead lets out a tired sigh. "Guess I got unlucky, though."

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

"Alright. Who, out of every contestant that has competed more than once, has the _best_ average placement of them all?"

The three were silent for a second, thinking hard about the answer. Gwen was first to jot down an answer. Bridgette was next, followed by Lightning.

"Alright, reveal your answers," Chris announced. "Gwen, you first."

"My kickass friend Zoey, of course." Gwen revealed with a smile.

"I guessed Zoey as well." Bridgette agreed.

"Lightning guessed Zoey as well," Lightning finished, looking deeply unhappy at his last place entry.

"Zoey is correct. Her average placement of 2.5 after coming in 3rd and 2nd is quite impressive," Chris narrated. The host clapped his hands. "Oddballs lead with 3 points to Nuclear's 2. Alphas are behind at 0. Next group, come on up!"

"Sha-dang," Lightning cursed. "Lightning can't believe he fumbled like that. Unacceptable!"

"Dont' sweat it," Izzy reassured him, "Izzy's got this!"

"Izzy, Beardo, Owen, come on down!"

The three waltzed up to the podiums.

"Aw-haw, yeah! So stoked to be here," Owen's enthusiasm was as evident as ever. "How're you doing today, host man?"

"Doing fine, Owen," Chris said pleasantly, "Now, tell the viewers back home a little about yourself!"

"Well, I have two brothers back home, and they're rooting for me big time! I'm gonna win that new car!" Owen said happily, "I also hold the record at my high school for most toilets destroyed in a day….and a week," he turned a little thoughtful, "two weeks, month, semester," he rang off, ticking his fingers as he went, "six months, year, two years, four years…" he trailed off with a little chuckle. "But yeah, anyways, ready to win this new car!"

Chris looked a little taken aback, "Uh, new car?"

"Well sure," Owen said happily, walking over to the host and slinging an arm around him. Chris now looked a little uncomfortable.

"Uhh, Owen, what're you doing?" He whispered to the big lug.

"I dunno, I was trying to go along with it and went too far," the big guy whispered back.

The two stood there, Owen's arm still around his shoulder. The campers stared at them awkwardly.

"I say," Owen finally spoke up, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips. "Chris, your shoulders are _rock hard _and _stiff_." He gave the shoulders of the host a friendly little pat. "You work out?"

"Eeugh!" Chris wiggled away from Owen. "Owen! Go back to your podium, man!"

Izzy snapped her fingers, "rats! Just as it was getting good and steamy!"

A chuckling Owen returned to is podium, embarrassed. "Heheh…sorry about that…"

Chris recomposed himself and looked down at the card in his hands. "Swiftly moving on," he grumbled, "_Including _this season, out of everyone who has competed in more than one season, who has suffered the _least_ standard, unaltered eliminations in the history of Total Drama?"

"The least? Beardo questioned. "Wouldn't that be everyone that got eliminated once and only once?"

"Would it?" Chris giggled impishly. "This is a hard one, so take your time."

This time the contestants were quiet for a couple of minutes. Owen mumbled to himself as he counted on his fingers. Beardo scratched his chin whiskers, pondering and lost in thought. Izzy methodically chewed on her bottom lip, fingers on her temples and eyes scrunched tight.

Eventually, Izzy snapped her fingers and typed in a long answer. It was another couple minutes before either Owen or Beardo put something in.

"Man, I'm just _guessing_," Beardo sighed.

"Me too," Owen admitted.

"Alright Izzy, who did you guess?"

"It was a tie," Izzy said smugly. She revealed her answer. "DJ, Sierra, Mike, and Cameron!"

"I just guessed," Beardo admitted, "I said Sierra."

"Jeeze, I said Tyler." Owen chuckled.

"That's not even a little close," Rodney smacked his forehead.

"Izzy is surprisingly correct," Chris announced. "DJ was instantly eliminated in Total Drama Island, quit in Action, and was auto eliminated as a team of one in World Tour. Likewise, Sierra was auto eliminated in World Tour, and was eliminated by the other team in All-Stars. Mike was auto eliminated by Scott in Revenge of the Island, and a finalist in All Stars, and Cameron was a winner in Revenge of the Island, and eliminated due to injury in All-Stars!"

"Woot woot!" Izzy grinned, "score one for Izzy!"

"Izzy and Nuclear are the only team to get points. They are now tied with Team Nuclear at 2. Oddball has a narrow lead with 3. Let's get Jasmine, Rodney and Duncan up here.

They looked between one another as they approached the stage. Notably, Rodney looked a little nervous. Jasmine and Duncan were confident.

"Alright you guys, lets get right into it," Chris said. "Jasmine, you _could_ win this for your team right here and now with a correct first place answer."

"Let's go, Jazz!" Shawn cheered.

"You got this!" Bridgette agreed, looking nervous.

Jasmine cracked her knuckles. "I do."

"Your question is…in the Total Drama Pahkitew Island merge, who was the _only_ person to be eliminated by a normal vote?"

All three wrote something down quickly and submitted.

"Oh wow, that was close," Chris said appreciatively. "We're gonna need a sec to look at who rang in first. For now, though, reveal your answers."

"Dave," all three said simultaneously.

"You're all correct," Chris agreed. "Now, it only matters who rang it in first." He held up a hand to his ear. "And I just got the results. The person to ring in _last_, thus receiving zero points, is…Duncan!"

Duncan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Whatever."

Rodney and Jasmine exchanged a competitive look.

"The person who rang in first was…"

At the Oddball podium, Bridgette was crossing fingers on both her hands. Owen rubbed her back in a comforting manner.

"Jasmine!" Team Oddball erupted into cheers.

Rodney sighed and snapped his fingers. He rejoined Team Alpha, where he received condolences from his teammates.

"With a total of 5 points, Team Oddball wins the first part of the challenge, and all its members are _safe_ from elimination!"

"Let's go!" Owen cheered. Bridgette wrapped him in a big hug as Jasmine ran back to her team and hugged Shawn.

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)**

"Safe another day!" Bridgette squeals, pumping her fist in excitement. "Let's go!"

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

"Team Oddball, you guys are dismissed. You're welcome to stay and watch the challenge or go off and do whatever you like." Chris told them.

"Fancy a walk in the woods, babe?" Jasmine asked Shawn.

Shawn stepped down from his podium and shot Jasmine a thumbs up. "Let's do it."

Owen and Bridgette opted to stay and watch, so they took their seats on the bleachers with Noah and Sammy.

"Alright teams, it's time for part two, which is a little different than part one." Chris told them. "The trivia questions will test how well you know your teammates! You'll be given a face about one of your teammates, and you'll have to answer which teammate it applies. If you guess wrong, the other team has a chance to steal the point!" Chris clapped his hands. "Format will be the same. One person from each team comes up at a time and it's 5 points to win. If someone gets a question wrong, the only one that's able to guess is the person they are facing. No help from any other teammates!" He clapped his hands. "Alright, let's pick who goes first…let's call Rodney and Gwen to the stage!"

The two large lads lumbered up to the podium. Rodney gave Gwen a polite wave, and Gwen shot him a weird look. Rodney flushed and looked down.

"Alright guys. Remember, the questions can refer to anyone on your team, even those who have been eliminated." Chris told them. "Now, Team Alpha, you'll get your question first. Rodney, who has placed the worst on your team in all their seasons competing?"

"Uhh," Rodney tapped his finger against his chin, "I'd have to say…Lightning, right? He was the second person eliminated in All-Stars."

"Correct," Chris told him, "one point to Team Alpha."

"Lightning can't _believe_ he holds that record," the athlete grumbled to himself.

"Gwen, your question is the same," Chris said, "who is-"

"Tied between Beardo and Duncan," Gwen answered instantly. "Are all the questions going to be the same for each team?"

"Just this first one," Chris assured her, "but unfortunately, your answer is incorrect!" He turned to Rodney, "Will Rodney be able to snag Gwen's point for a formidable 2-0 lead?"

"Wait, how is that wrong?" Gwen argued, "they were both kicked off first!"

"Well I guess Duncan, since he was eliminated _before_ the first elimination ceremony!" Rodney said confidently.

Gwen slapped her forehead.

"Good guess," Chris complimented, "but unfortunately, that is _also_ incorrect." At Rodney's confused look, the host explained what he meant: "While it is true that Duncan was technically disqualified before the first elimination, he was brought back and ended up placing 5th. Beardo was the correct answer."

"Aww, shucks," Rodney sighed.

"Don't worry, Rodney!" Zoey called, clapping as the two returned to their team podiums, "one point is still good!"

"Duncan and Lightning, come on down," Chris called them up.

The two leveled a glare at each other, still remembering the hostility from the morning.

"Team Alpha. Which of your team members absolutely _hates_ eels?"

Lightning looked a little stumped, and remained quiet for a few seconds. "Errr, Lightning doesn't really know," he admitted, "Zoey?"

Zoey and Noah both smacked their hands to their foreheads.

"Incorrect," Chris tutted. He turned to Duncan, "Duncan, want to steal?"

"Noah, obviously," Duncan bragged.

"Correct!"

The delinquent turned to the bleachers, "Did you hate eels before you met Alejandro, or was he the cause?"

"Definitely the cause," Noah admitted.

Duncan chuckled. "Nice." Turning back to the host, his face became more determined. "Alright, what's my question?"

"Duncan, who on your team can drink a whole melted stick of butter?"

"Eew," Rodney gagged. "That's horrible!"

Duncan just laughed, "Oh man, that's _nasty_. He turned around to survey his teammates. "I honestly don't know, but I'm just gonna go ahead and guess…Jo."

"Hey!" Jo protested.

"Correct!" Chris clapped his hands. "Two points for Duncan brings his team to a narrow lead!"

Duncan leveled a wolfish grin at Lightning. "Sorry for sending you right after your girlfriend, bro," He mocked. He left the podium and rejoined his team. An annoyed Jo prodded him in the ribs. "What made you guess me?" She asked him, a little cross.

Duncan shrugged, "I dunno. Beardo would be too easy, I know Pasty doesn't have the stomach for it, it definitely wasn't me and I'd put money it wasn't Sammy. That left you or Dirt Boy, and I just guessed you." He gave her a wary look, "why did you even do that?"

"I read this bum article on the internet that it was supposed to help for exercising," Jo grumbled. "That was not a pretty couple of days…'

Duncan laughed at that, and while Jo looked annoyed at first, she allowed herself a begrudging smile. "Yeah, I guess that is pretty funny," she admitted.

"Alright, Nuclear leads Alpha 2-1," Chris said, rubbing his hands together happily. "The stage calls Zoey and Beardo!"

Once the two had joined Chris at the front, Chris turned to Beardo first. "Okay Beardo," he paused, noting the sweating boy. "You okay, man? You look a little nervous."

Beardo gulped, "I'm fine…just a little worried since I don't know anyone here too well."

"Just do your best, man," Chris told him, not sounding super caring at all. "Now, who on your team, on the show, has been shown naked the most amount of times?"

Beardo surveyed his teammates. He knew he and Sammy hadn't been shown in the nude at all. "Uhh…Scott?"

"Nope!" Beardo's face fell and Chris turned to Zoey. "Zoey?"

Zoey looked just as stumped, "Gwen?"

"Wrong again! The correct answer is Duncan!" Chris told them. "No points for that question. Now, for Zoey's question. Who on your team has caused the most eliminations in a single season?"

"Oh jeez, that's a tough one," Zoey wrung her hands together nervously. "Uh…Sky?"

"Incorrect! Beardo?"

"Zoey?"

"Hey!" Zoey exclaimed, looking a little offended.

"Sorry!" Beardo apologized quickly, "I just guessed you cause you always make it so far!"

"Wrong again! The correct answer was Lightning!"

"I should've known," Zoey said darkly.

"And that's zero points for either team! You guys suck," Chris told them. "Back to the podiums with you, trash."

Beardo walked dejectedly back down to his podium, where he was sharply smacked on the back by Jo.

"Don't sweat it, Beardo," she told him gruffly. "We still got the lead."

"I know, I just want to contribute," Beardo said sadly.

"Ok, last up we have Izzy and Jo!"

Jo cracked her knuckles. "Piece of cake."

"That's my line!" Izzy cackled.

"Jo, who on your team has had objectively the most humiliating elimination?"

Jo rubbed her chin. "Definitely not me…" she held up her other hand and began to lower fingers. "Duncan…nah. Gwen? Nah…Hmm, the other three though…I guess I'd have to say Scott. Getting put in that trauma thing was pretty humiliating."

"Our audiences back home…agree!" Chris agreed. "Point for Team Nuclear. It's now time for Izzy's turn."

"Noah!" The redhead bellowed.

Said bookworm raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Izzy?"

Izzy giggled, "Oi! I wasn't talking to you! I was giving Chris my answer!"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "But you haven't heard the question yet."

"Doesn't matter. B: Noah. Final answer," Izzy said, smiling widely.

"That's…correct." Chris stammered, "what the hell?" He leveled a suspicious glare at the ginger. "Did you sneak a peak at the cards?"

"No, silly! I read your mind!" Izzy told him happily. She then nonchalantly turned her back on the host and raised her arms over her head. "Woohoo! Point to Team Alpha! Let's go, guys!"

Chris shot another suspicious look at the retreating red head and did a quick shuffle of the cards in his hands. "Alright, we're switching up the pairs. Lightning and Beardo, you're up. The score is 3-2 with Team Nuclear leading."

"Come on guys," Noah called to his team. "Focus up. You got this. All we need is a double steal to pull ahead and then the game is basically ours."

"Ok, Lightning you're up first." Chris told him. "Which teammate was voted "Most Likely to Have No Enemies" in high school?"

"Ugh, probably _Zoey_," Lightning spat.

"Incorrect!" Chris told him. "Beardo?"

"Uh…Sky?"

"Also incorrect! The correct answer is Izzy!"

"Izzy?" Duncan said incredulously, "all Izzy _has_ are enemies. She was wanted by the freakin' RCMP!"

"I may or may not have threatened everyone into voting that for me," Izzy giggled. "High school was a _crazy_ time, lemme tell ya."

"If Lightning bothered to learn anything about me," Zoey said, loud enough for Lightning to hear, "He'd know I wasn't liked at all in my hometown."

"Excuse the Lightning for not knowing your whole backstory," Lightning snapped back. The two exchanged a heated glare.

"Time for Beardo's question. Beardo, who on your team has an unnatural fondness for My Little Pony?"

Beardo raised an eyebrow and a small smile played at his lips. "Oh, I know the answer to this one." His eyes fell on his alliance mate. Jo!"

Jo had buried her head in her hands in shame. "I told you that in intoxicated confidence!" She said miserably.

"Haha, Jo likes girly things," Chris taunted. "Beardo is correct. Team Nuclear now has 4-2 lead. Team Alpha is gonna have to come up with something seriously epic if they want to come back. One more point for Team Nuclear and they are safe."

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.) **

"This isn't looking good," Noah moans, annoyed. "If we lose, things are going to get _really _messy…"

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

"Alright, will Rodney be able to turn the tables against Duncan? Let's find out." Chris said, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an eight-year old. "Come on up, guys!"

The two men joined him and shot each other a determined look.

"Alright Rodney, you're up first," Chris said. "Rodney, out of everyone on your team, who is the one to have had the most relationships."

"On the show or just in general?" Rodney asked for clarification.

"In general."

"Y'know, some time ago I probably would've said me," Rodney chuckled, a little embarrassed, "but I don't think one-sided relationships count."

"Right you are," Chris confirmed. "Now, what's your answer?"

Rodney thought it over. Sky, Lightning and Izzy all seemed like pretty good bets, so he was going to have to guess.

"I guess…" A bead of sweat dripped down his back. "Uh…Izzy."

"Your answer is…" Chris trailed off, enjoying seeing Rodney squirm. "Correct! Point for Team Alpha!"

Team Alpha erupted into applause.

"Nice job, man!" Izzy cheered.

"Keep focused, Rodney!" Noah encouraged. "You have to steal this point!"

Rodney nodded determinedly at his team, leveling a cocky grin at Duncan.

"Looking awfully confident there, Farmer Brown," Duncan noted. "All I have to do is get this question right and you're toast."

"Maybe," Rodney offered, "but _will_ you get it right?" His tone was surprisingly intimidating, and Duncan looked unnerved for just as second before masking it with his normal nonchalance.

"Duncan, to potentially win it for your team," Chris told him dramatically. "Out of everyone on your team, who hates you the most?"

"What?" Duncan spluttered, "what kind of question is that?"

"You heard me," Chris said smugly. "Who is it?"

Rodney grinned.

* * *

**(Confessional: Rodney.) **

"This is great!" Rodney says hopefully, hunched down to avoid his head scraping the ceiling. "The answer is obviously either Scott or Gwen, but it's a mixed bag on who it actually is. If he gets it wrong, I just guess answer the other one and BAM!" He smacks his fist into his hand, and it makes a surprisingly loud noise. "Tied up! All thanks to Rodney!"

**(End Confessional: Rodney.)**

* * *

"How do you even measure that?" Duncan was still protesting the question. "That's completely subjective!"

"Oh trust me, we know the correct answer," Chris smirked. "So what'll it be."

Duncan shot a nervous look at Gwen, who was pointedly looking down at her feet. The punk gulped. He really, _really_ didn't want the answer to be Gwen. Scott hated him plenty, he knew that, but Gwen? She was a lot less obvious. In his mind, he thought they were on decent terms. _But_, the nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him, _you've thought that before, and ended up on the Boat of Losers._

"You gonna answer sometime today, D-man?" Chris asked him, growing impatient.

"I'm thinking," Duncan snapped. Gwen seemed genuinely sorry when she apologized, he told his nagging voice. We're going to trust her.

_Sounds like a good way to get back on that Boat. _The voice replied. Duncan hated that voice. He decided to trust Gwen.

"Scott," he answered. "Scott hates me most."

Gwen jerked her head up, looking at Duncan in surprise.

"Duncan, a bold answer," Chris pointed out. "Risky to say the least. But is it right? Scott is…NOT…" Rodney cheered as Duncan and Gwen both gasped in unison. "The wrong answer! Point to Team Nuclear! They win 5-3!"

All of Team Nuclear erupted into cheers except for Duncan and Gwen, who both just looked relieved.

Most of team Alpha were disappointed. Zoey and Lightning were the notable exceptions, and were glaring at one another.

"Team Alpha, you'll be booting someone later today," Chris told them. "Two in a row, huh? Tough break…but you aren't done yet!"

Team Alpha looked confused. "What do you mean?" Zoey asked.

"It's time for another PCP, or Post-Challenge-Prize!" Chris announced. "This one is super short and sweet though. "It's another risk-reward. You'll gain one positive thing, but also a penalty."

"What's the positive thing?" Izzy asked, looking excited.

"5000 buck-a-roonies," Chris told them, and everyone still at the podium gasped.

"Whoa, can we get in on this?" Jo asked from Team Nuclear.

"I'm afraid it only applies to the losing team," Chris told her.

"That's a pretty big prize," Noah pointed out. "What's the drawback."

"The drawback is pretty severe," Chris admitted, "But it will only be revealed after you've chosen to take the PCP or not."

"Hey, I don't do drugs!" Izzy joked.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Hilarious. Now, Team Alpha, what'll it be?"

"I'm not risking it," Noah declined.

"Me neither," Zoey decided.

"I'll take it!" Izzy said happily.

"Me too, eh," Rodney told Chris.

Lightning was the last to choose. "Lightning declines." He eventually said.

"Alright, Izzy and Rodney, you guys are $5,000 richer," he congratulated them. "However, it's not free money. The cost is…a severe hindrance in the next challenge!"

The reaction he got was…muted, to say the least.

Noah sighed, looking annoyed, but other than that everyone was pretty neutral.

"Uh, did you guys not hear me right?" Chris asked. "That's pretty big news."

"Whatever," Lightning shrugged, "Lighting will pick up their slack."

"True that," Rodney agreed.

"If you're still here, that is" Zoey muttered under her breath.

Chris was obviously put out. "Whatever," he grumbled. "See you guys later at the Bonfire Ceremony. Get outta my sight."

* * *

**(Confessional: Izzy.)**

"Am I worried about a challenge hinderance?" Izzy asks the camera rhetorically. "Not when ya girl is making it _rain_ baby!" She splashes invisible bills all over the place. "Hahaha!"

**(End Confessional: Izzy.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Beardo.)**

"Damn," the rotund young man curses, "this mighta been a challenge I wouldn't have minded losing!"

**(End Confessional: Beardo.)**

* * *

Jasmine and Shawn had found a sunny clearing and were currently lying in the grass, holding hands. A comfortable silence floated between them.

"Oi, babe, I didn't tell you about Sammy yet, did I?" Jasmine said, the corner of her mouth pulling up in a slight grin..

Shawn looked over at her. "What about her? She ok?" He asked, a little concerned.

"More than, actually," Jasmine sat up and brushed a little big of dirt off the back of her thighs. "Turns out the whole balloon fiasco that turned out to be nothing was all orchestrated by her yesterday."

"Orchestrated by her?" Shawn didn't understand.

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, apparently she knew the balloon she knocked into the water was one of Team Alphas, and she did it so they couldn't get their last letter."

Shawn's eyebrows disappeared up into his beanie. "Wow, that's…impressive," he finally said, a little grin on her face. "How devious of her."

'I _know_!" Jasmine chuckled. "I could barely believe it when she told me! But hey, it was damn good plan."

"Seriously, and I bet no one suspected a thing," Shawn laughed. "She's so innocent."

"Gwen interrogated her a bit," Jasmine recalled thoughtfully. She lay back down in the grass with her hands behind her head. "But Sammy saw her off pretty easy."

"Are you worried about her?" Shawn asked. "I mean like, her turning into Amy or something?"

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. She seemed to feel pretty guilty about it, which is good. As long as she doesn't let it overcome her she should be fine. I'm trying to be as supportive as I can be."

"You're such a good friend, babe," Shawn grinned.

Jasmine blushed and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks."

The two continued to enjoy the sunlight.

* * *

Zoey, Rodney and Izzy were having a meeting in the Mess Hall. It was empty except for them. They were currently having a heated discussion on who should be eliminated.

"It's time to take Lightning down," Zoey said vehemently.

Rodney disagreed. "I just don't trust Noah," Rodney told the two girls. "I think sending him home would be much safer, and better for the team."

"Noah?" Izzy repeated, surprised. "Where did this come from?"

"I don't like the way he backed us into a corner yesterday," Rodney explained. "It left a really bad taste in my mouth. I even voted against him last night!"

Izzy and Zoey both looked shocked by this, but said nothing.

"Seriously, he's bad news," Rodney told him. "To pull a move that big…this early on…it just doesn't seem good."

"I don't understand," Izzy said, raising an eyebrow at the farm boy, "why not just vote for Sky? Your vote didn't even matter. Sky was still going to go home regardless."

A dull flush crept up Rodney's neck. "I…I had a hard time voting for someone who was my first kiss." He admitted. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I decided last minute."

The three were quiet for a minute.

"I still think Lightning should go," Zoey said stubbornly. "Sorry Rodney, but that's who I'm voting for. If you've got any sense, you vote for him too."

"I don't understand your weird hate towards him," Rodney pointed out, a little annoyed. "He's not that bad of a dude, Zoey."

"Not that bad?" Zoey stood up and slammed her hands down on the table, startling the other two. "Do you have _any_ idea how it felt to come from a town where I was tormented by a bunch of dumb jocks, only to get eliminated in Revenge of the Island by _another _dumb jock! I could barely even go back home! My whole town was pro-Lightning and reveled in the fact that he got me eliminated!" Her hands curled into fists on the table. "So don't you lecture me on 'he's not so bad' when you don't know how his actions have affected my life!"

Rodney gulped, having scooted back in his chair a little. "S-sorry," he apologized. "I didn't know."

Zoey finally seemed to realized she was standing with her fists clenched on the table. She looked surprised and quickly retook her seat. "Uh…" she gave the other two an awkward glance. "No, I'm sorry for my outburst," she said shamefully. "You couldn't have known, I was out of line."

Izzy, however, looked excited. "Don't apologize, silly! That's what your training has been working towards! Own that strength!"

Zoey shook her head. "I can't let that side of me overpower me." She told Izzy calmly.

"I know, but we're working to control it!" Izzy said, hopping up from her seat and running over to Zoey. "C'mon, let's go train!"

Zoey reluctantly got up from her seat and let herself be led out into the forest by Izzy. "Sorry again," she apologized to Rodney, who smiled gingerly back at her.

"No sweat," he called to her as they left. Once they were gone, he let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in. "Jeeze," he muttered, "she's _scary_."

* * *

**(Confessional: Izzy.)**

Izzy is giggling maniacally. "Wow, that whole passage of conversation was like, so enlightening! Teehee, but what am I gonna do with all this information?" She rubs her hands together. "I think I have just the plan. But first," she springs to her feet and kung-fu kicks the wall, making the whole Confessional shake. "It's training time!" She dives out of the Confessional.

**(End Confessional: Izzy.)**

* * *

Duncan was sitting on the couch in the Rec Center, a cold beer between in his legs and video game controller in his hands. He was playing an old school zombie shooter on the old game system. To be honest, he was enjoying himself very much.

"Level complete!" The game announced, and Duncan put the controller down next to him as the scores began to play on screen. He took a nice sip of beer and nestled it back between his legs.

The door opened behind him and he looked over his shoulder at the new entrant.

"Hey," Gwen greeted, Beardo right behind her.

"What's up, guys," Duncan greeted.

"Is that Zombothon III?" Gwen asked, her eyes lighting up."

"Hell yeah it is," Duncan grinned, returning his gaze back to the screen and picking up his controller.

"I've never played that one," Beardo said, joining the delinquent on the couch. He noticed the six pack of beer on the floor next to him. "Uhh, mind if I have one?"

"Hm?" Duncan looked over to see what Beardo was talking about. "Oh, go for it. Just do me a favor and throw the rest in the mini fridge. Don't want 'em getting warm on us."

Beardo nodded and pulled one out of the six pack before grabbing the cardboard case and heading over to the mini fridge.

"What, you're not gonna offer me one?" Gwen asked, her tone full of mock offense as she sat on the adjacent couch.

Duncan looked at her curiously. "I didn't take you for the beer type."

"Oh? What's my favorite drink then, in Duncan's expert opinion?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno," Duncan smirked at Gwen's tone, "I always took you for an old fashioned type. Some kind of sophisticated whiskey drink."

"If you had said fruity pink drinks I would've kicked you in the nuts, so good answer," Gwen told him. "Nah, I'm a red wine kind of girl, but beer is fine for a more casual setting."

"Beardo, toss Gwen one," Duncan called to the beatboxer.

Beardo gave a "ding ding" in response and pulled one more out before putting the remaining three in the fridge. He walked over to Gwen and handed her the beer.

"Thanks," Gwen said, twisting the cap off the bottle and taking a sip. "Hmm, not bad."

"Yeah, most of the stuff in the Tuck Shoppe ain't too bad," Duncan said, "I was surprised."

"Maybe Chris got sponsored by a liquor store," Beardo joked.

Duncan snorted and Gwen giggled.

"You guys trying to play co-op?" He asked the two, nodding his head at the other controllers tucked in the TV stand.

"Hell yeah, I'm always down to crack some zombie skulls." Gwen said happily, heading over to the stand and bending down in front of the TV.

Duncan pointedly kept his eyes on the screen as Gwen collected a couple of controllers and headed back to the couches.

"You want in?" Gwen asked Beardo.

Beardo looked a little nervous. "I dunno, the only Zombothon I've ever played was the most recent one. I don't wanna be a hinderance."

"Relax, dude," Duncan told him, "If you played Zombothon VIII, then III will be a piece of cake. It's way more basic."

"Besides," Gwen added, "Don't stress so much about being a hinderance. I noticed you sweating it in today's challenge."

"I know," Beardo sighed, taking a sip of his own beer. "I just get so caught up in my head."

"All that's gonna be good for is making you blow it big time," Duncan advised, setting up the game for three players. "I know its a competition, but we're not gonna tear your head off for one little mistake. As long as you don't cost us the win, we have no reason to tear your throat out."

"I'll try and keep that in mind." Beardo smiled. He made the classic 'shotgun cocking' noise. "Now let's splatter some brains."

* * *

Lightning was currently doing pushups in the boys trailer. Sweat poured down his face as he pumped through his workout. His face was a miserable mix of anger and sadness, and it was clear he was using the workout to try and forget his feelings.

This continued for some time, but eventually the door to the trailer opened and Lightning paused from his workout.

It was Noah. He was looking down at the young man on the floor, eyebrow raised. "Hey," he greeted.

"What do you want?" Lightning grunted, going back to his pushups.

"I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night with the elimination." Noah told him. It was safe to say he captured Lightning's attention, as the boy stopped his push ups and pushed himself into a standing position.

"What is there to talk about?" Lightning scowled. "You all ganged up on Sky. She _told_ Lightning how you wanted to team up with us, but then you go ahead and vote for Sky!"

"I had to," Noah protested. Upon Lightning's snort, Noah rolled his eyes. "Seriously! I would've been fine with teaming up with you guys, but then Zoey approached me!"

Lightning frowned. "Zoey?"

"Yeah, she wanted to break you two up because you guys would be so strong together." Noah told him. "And since I hadn't heard any verdict from you guys, I was a little hesitant about saying no." He looked Lightning up and down critically. "I mean, you _didn't_ want to team up with me before you and Sky were together. Would that have changed just because you guys were together?"

Lightning glared at Noah, but eventually let the glare drop. "No," he admitted. "Lightning didn't want to team up. But we still went with your proposed plan! We voted for Zoey!"

"It wouldn't have mattered," Noah said easily, "No offense to Sky, but I'd back Zoey in a 3-3 tiebreaker. Zoey, Izzy and Rodney were all voting for Sky."

"Something about what you're saying don't make no sense," Lightning accused. "Lightning's no fool, he knows Zoey doesn't like him. Why would she want to take down Sky instead of Lightning?"

Noah shrugged, "Beats me. Maybe the others convinced her you were a bigger asset to the team than Sky was. Maybe Zoey's way more bitter than we thought and she voted off Sky just to hurt you."

Lightning's eyes widened. "You think she'd do that?"

"No," Noah admitted, "but I don't know here very well. With Izzy working on bringing out her commando side, she's way more of a wildcard than I'd like. It's certainly a possibility."

Lightning flexed his fingers into fists. "Zoey…grrr…"

"Anyways, that's why I think we need to vote her out tonight. I know you initially thought I was the one who betrayed you, but I only did what I thought I had to because you guys weren't going to work with me," Noah said, sounding rather convincing. "Which, by the way, you admitted to doing anyways."

Lightning let all that sink in for a minute. "Sha-damn," he finally said, looking a little sad. "The Lightning is way more alone on this team than he thought."

"I've got your back," Noah assured him. "It just sucks that Rodney and Zoey want you gone so bad. I think I can convince Izzy to vote for Zoey tonight, and we'll have a 3 vote majority. Sound like a plan?"

Lightning nodded, steely determination returning to his face. "Like a dang good one, too. Zoey's gonna _pay_."

Noah looked relieved. "Okay, good." He stood up to leave, but paused. "By the way, I don't mind if you talk to Zoey about this, but don't be surprised if she denies everything. I don't think she feels good about eliminating Sky, and might try and pass it off to me because, as much as I hate to admit it, I was the defining vote that sent Sky home for sure." He looked at Lighting, "which I am sorry about. I liked her."

"There's nothing for me and Zoey to talk about," Lightning growled. "Except for me to talk trash when she walks down the Dock tonight!"

Noah nodded, "I'll see you later."

Lightning reclined on his bed, conflicted expressions flitting across his face. "Sha-later."

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah looks at the camera, apathetic. "Yeah, pretty much everything I just told Lightning was a lie." He shrugs, "but he's too blinded by anger to ask the right questions, so that means I can get him to do what I need him to. If all goes well, Zoey leaves tonight and Lightning trusts me. We lose Rodney next time we lose, and then Izzy if we have to, but hopefully the three of us can merge together. If Owen and Izzy hook up and we all make the merge, we'll be pretty much unstoppable."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Lightning.) **

"Sha-dang, Lightning thought Noah was only after an alliance with the Lightning because he's the best," Lightning admits, "but he seems to be a pretty decent dude! Manning up about his part in Shorty's elimination to his face takes guts. I respect that."

**(End Confessional: Lightning.)**

* * *

Izzy and Zoey were out in the woods, breathless and sweating. Both girls were lying on the ground, recovering from their intense training session.

"You've improved so much, it's almost scary!" Izzy told Zoey, impressed.

"Thanks," Zoey panted, running a hand across her sweaty brow. "All these emotions I've been feeling…it makes it easier, somehow."

"Well, that was fun," Izzy said, flipping onto her feet and wiping herself of dirt and sweat, "but Izzy has some errands to run! See ya later!"

Zoey waved to her fellow redhead as Izzy took off into the woods.

"Thermal scanning activated," Izzy whispered to herself, sharp teeth bared in a grin as she sped through the woods. "Searching for target…" she hooked a left and the campground loomed up ahead. "Target locked…" Continuing her sprint, she ran around the corner of the bathroom building and pounced on the poor soul that had just left.

"Izzy!" Noah groaned, hitting the dirt in his typical wimpy fashion. "What the hell?"

"Noah! We need to talk," Izzy told him, eyes flitting back and forth as if worried she'd be overheard. "Into the bathroom we go!" She dragged the bookworm into the girls side and stuffed him into a stall.

"Hey, be a little more gentle," Noah complained as he sat himself on the lid of the toilet. "What's this all about anyways?"

"Izzy learned some very interesting things today," Izzy told him, her tone unusually serious. "I was chatting with Rodney and Zoey earlier, and apparently Rodney is a big ol' fashioned…" she mimed unsheathing a dagger and stabbing someone in the back, "double agent!"

"Double agent?" Noah repeated, his eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that he didn't vote for Sky yesterday!" Izzy told him. "He voted for you!"

"Me?" Noah repeated, shocked. "What?!"

"Yeah yeah!" Izzy nodded her head rapidly. "He went on and on about how he doesn't trust you, and how he couldn't bear to vote for his first kiss Sky, and how it was all last minute and stuff! It was wild!"

Noah ran his hand through his hair, his mind racing. "Shit." He finally said.

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Izzy said with a giggle.

"Does he want to vote for me again?" Noah asked. "Did he convince Zoey?"

Izzy shook her head. "Nah, Zoey got all outbursty on him after arguing with him. He wants you gone, Zoey wants Lightning gone. Blah blah blah. I think she changed his mind, and they're both voting for Lightning."

"What about you? Who are you voting for?" Noah asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Izzy told him. "On one hand, I'm not the biggest fan of Lightning. On the other hand, I know you've been scheming and I like that side of you!" She leaned against the stall door and prodded Noah's ribs with her foot. "So, whatcha gonna do?"

"Well if Rodney's not actively targeting me…that's good," Noah muttered. "Okay, here's what I think should happen." He looked up at his teammate. "How would you feel…about eliminating Rodney?"

"Well since I'm guessing your original plan was to vote of Zoey, someone I consider a friend, I would say I much prefer that," Izzy told him politely.

"Ok…" Noah rubbed his chin. "If I can just convince Lightning to switch his vote to Rodney, we can just 3-2 vote him instead…" He shook his head. "I can't believe he went against the plan like that."

"You're just mad he voted for you!" Izzy teased.

Noah shook his head. "I'm really not," he told her. "What I can't believe is that he went against a carefully constructed plan…at the last minute…on a _whim_! You said it was because he didn't want to vote for Sky cause they kissed while they were plastered?"

Izzy chuckled and nodded.

Noah shook his head. "Unbelievable. That level of unpredictability is too dangerous. At least Zoey and Lightning will keep each other busy."

"Okay, sounds good." Izzy said happily. "Rodney it is."

"I need to go convince Lightning, though," Noah said. "Do me a favor and hang out outside our trailer. Just keep out of sight. This might be tough."

"Huh? Why would I need to come?" Izzy questioned, "I've got plans, y'know?"

"I'm sure," Noah rolled his eyes. "Just trust me."

"Fine," Izzy whined. "Let's do it now!"

"Now," Noah agreed, "we're running out of time."

* * *

**(Confessional: Izzy.)**

Izzy rubbed her hands together and gave an evil chuckle. "Muahahaha. Zoey, you're welcome!"

**(End Confessional: Izzy.)**

* * *

Lightning was still on his bed thinking when Noah burst in again, out of breath.

"Sha-Jeez, dude. Where's the fire?" Lightning asked him.

"We need to talk about tonight's elimination," Noah panted. "We need to change the target."

Lightning did not look thrilled. "To who?" He asked skeptically.

"Rodney," Noah said, sitting down at the wooden table. "Turns out he's a wildcard that just does what he wants. Its too risky."

"Wildcard? Lightning doesn't understand."

Noah sighed impatiently. "He went against the plan last night. He did his own thing. That's unpredictable and dangerous. Who knows what else he could do!"

"So what you're telling Lightning is that Rodney _didn't_ vote for Shorty?" Lightning clarified.

"Yes," Noah said.

"Then why the hell would I vote Rodney out!" Lightning shouted, startling Noah. "He's the one fool that _didn't_ gang up on us!" He shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Lightning's voting Zoey and that's final."

Noah looked at a loss for words. "But…" his mind raced, "But he didn't vote for Sky because they kissed! Izzy told me that," He said quickly. "Maybe its because Rodney caught feelings for her?"

Lightning paused at that, and Noah looked hopeful. That hope faded though, when Lightning shook his head. "Nah. Rodney's weird, but he's a cool dude. He wouldn't make a move on a taken lady."

"Lightning, don't be an idiot," Noah complained. "Listen to me, you-" The bookworm was interrupted when, quick as a flash, Lightning and gotten up from his bed. He crossed the trailer in two strides and grabbed Noah by his collar, lifting him into the air with ease.

"You listen to _me_," Lightning snarled, and Noah paled. "_I_ am voting for Zoey. Final. And don't you call _me_ an idiot. Understand?"

Noah gulped and nodded.

Lightning calmed down a little bit, and took a deep breath. "Look, Lightning understands you're concerns. He doesn't trust Rodney either," he said forcefully, finally setting the bookworm down in his chair. "But Zoey has to go. Its just the way its gotta be."

Sensing his dismissal, Noah shakily rose from the table and dusted himself off. "I apologize for calling you an idiot," He finally said, "that was uncalled for."

Lightning rubbed the back of his head. "He's sorry for losing his temper. It's just been a rough couple of days."

"I understand," Noah said honestly.

Outside the trailer, Noah let out a long exhale. Izzy popped out of a nearby bush and beckoned him over. "How'd it go?" She whispered.

Noah looked at the setting sun. "Not good," he admitted. "Pretty much as terrible as it could've gone."

Izzy's face fell. "Does that mean a Zoey-Rodney tiebreaker?"

"I guess so," Noah sighed, looking thoughtful, "unless…"

"Ooh, Izzy likes unless," Izzy supplied helpfully.

"Well, it'd be risky, and it would all be on your shoulders." Noah told Izzy.

"Let me hear it."

"You just need to convince Rodney that you don't trust me, and that you're down to vote me off." Noah explained. "That way…"

Izzy snapped her fingers. "If Lightning votes for Zoey and Zoey votes for Lightning, and Rodney votes for you…that means me and you would be enough!"

"Bingo," Noah agreed. "Think you're up for it?"

Izzy chuckled darkly. "Oh, my dear Noah Boa." She smirked at the bookworm. "Consider it done." She reached into her cleavage and pulled out a smoke bomb, vanishing from sight.

Noah let out a deep sigh. "This day was about as bad as I expected." He began his walk towards the Tuck Shoppe. "Who knew Lightning talking in first person could be so terrifying?" He shook his head. "I need a fucking drink."

* * *

Rodney whistled as he made his way to the Mess Hall for dinner. The sun was setting and twilight was upon the island. HE felt someone attempt to tackle him into the bushes, but he merely swayed a little and looked down at his would-be assailant. "Izzy? What's up?"

"We, my friend, need to have a chat," Izzy grinned up at him.

* * *

**(Confessional: Rodney.) **

Rodney taps his fingers to his temples, his brow scrunched up as he thinks. "Man, that's a pretty good plan…but its risky! Is it worth it?" He sighs, "I wish I had time to go over it with Zoey…"

**(End Confessional: Rodney.)**

* * *

Dinner came and went in an uneventful fashion. Before they knew it, Team Alpha found themselves situated at the campfire.

"Interesting," Chris said, "very interesting indeed." He revealed the four marshmallows on the signature tray. Firelight bounced around the area as the crickets chirped.

The members of Team Alpha exchanged nervous glances.

"Well, guess we better get right to it," Chris shrugged. "Izzy, you're safe."

Izzy grinned and flashed Chris the rock and roll sign. She caught her marshmallow with her mouth.

"Also safe is…Lightning!"

Zoey growled under her breath as the uber jock caught his marshmallow. Lightning didn't look too thrilled, but accepted it nonetheless. He was more interested to see who was getting the boot.

"Noah, Rodney, Zoey, none of you have received marshmallows. The next marshmallow goes to…Noah."

Noah remained expressionless as he caught his marshmallow. Rodney raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"Zoey, Rodney, this is the final marshmallow of the night. Whoever doesn't get it is toast." Chris said poetically. "Done-ZO. However, one of you is safe. That person is…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Zoey."

Zoey breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God," she muttered, catching her marshmallow.

All eyes turned to Rodney, who was slack jawed.

"Me?" He spluttered. "But I thought I was getting along so well with everyone! What did I do?"

He received silence. Stone cold silence.

"Yes, a terrible shame," Chris said, grinning. "Time to Walk the Dock, Farmer Rodney."

Rodney hung his head and stood up. He walked over to get his bags from the intern and turned to face his team.

Zoey finally shook herself out of her relief bubble an stood up. "Well, _I _didn't vote for you Rodney," She told him warmly.

Rodney looked a little placated by that. "Well, that's good I guess," he smiled at her. "I guess I'll be rooting for you, then."

Zoey walked up to him and gave him a hug. "Take care, okay? I know a lucky lady is out there just waiting for you!"

Rodney laughed and scratched the back of his head. "I hope so! Welp, cya guys, you backstabbers!"

"Bye, Rodney!" Izzy waved.

"Cya, man." Lightning saluted.

Noah said nothing.

"Just watch out for Noah," he warned his team, turning his back and beginning to walk the Dock. Noah rose an eyebrow. "Something about him man, he's just slippery!"

Zoey turned to glare suspiciously at Noah as the hulking farm boy clambered onto the Boat, making it sink a couple inches deeper into the water. He waved one final time before the boat sped off.

"Noah, Lightning, Zoey, Izzy. You guys are safe. You may go," Chris said solemnly.

Team Alpha dispersed, and Chris turned to the camera. "Poor Rodney ends up being blindsided! Tough break, kid. Anyways, who will be voted off next? Will Owen work up the nerve to talk to Izzy? Will Jo end up on the outs with her team? What the hell will happen on Team Alpha?! Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip: **_

Rodney heaved a great sigh. He was forced to sit on teh ground in the middle of the boat, as his size would cause the boat to lean if he was towards the sides. "Man, that really sucks to get eliminated at the same point as last time." He lamented sadly. "But, at the very least I'll walk out with 5000 bucks." He smiled a little, "and I made some friends, which is cool."

He was silent for a moment as the boat slowly made its way towards Playa Des Losers. "What sucks the most is I have _no _idea why I'm sitting here. At least last time I knew I blew the challenge." He shook his head. "At the beginning, I thought it was sweet that I was on a team full of powerhouses...but now, I realize I might've been a bit out of my league. I was totally blindsided." He realized the boat was slowing down and looked up at the twinkling lights of the playa. "Hey, Chef, what is this place?"

"Your new home, Gigantor." Chef said gruffly. "Playa Des Losers."

"Huh, cool," Rodney said, the camera following his gaze up to the Playa.

* * *

**Voting Confessionals: **

Izzy: Muahahaha, things are descending into chaos! I vote for Rodney to protect Zoey!

Lightning: Zoey's going down! She will pay for what she did to Sky!

Noah: I vote for Rodney. You can't let your emotions and whims get the best of you, man.

Rodney: I don't really know what to do...I guess Izzy's plan is good. I vote for Noah!

Zoey: Rodney, Izzy and I are on the same page. Lightning will finally be out of here.

* * *

**Votes:**

_Rodney - 2 votes: (Izzy, Noah)._

_Zoey - 1 vote: (Lightning)._

_Noah - 1 vote: (Rodney)._

_Lightning - 1 vote: (Zoey)._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Izzy, Noah.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Bridgette, Owen.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Jo, Sammy, Beardo.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky, Rodney.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

Ah, Rodney. I would bet not many are surprised by his early outing. Canonically, he's my least favorite character. However, I wanted to push aside that bias coming into this story and at least try to give the big doofus something. He was never meant to go far. He's emotional and impulsive, and with a cast this tough that was bound to bite him in the ass. If he had just stuck to the plan, it would be Zoey sitting in the Boat. Hell, if he had even kept his big mouth shut so Izzy didn't blab to Noah, it would be Zoey sitting in the Boat. Alas, it's Rodney. At least he will leave with some friends in Lightning and Zoey, and Izzy doesn't hate him either. In my eyes, he redeemed his TDPI performance. Now he can rest at the Playa.

* * *

**Ok, so that was a little faster than a week. What can I say, I'm cruising thanks to your guys's support :).**

**Now, final reminder. The POLL for the Peanut Gallery will close one week from today, so May 6th at 11:59PM EST. You have until then to vote! The top ten people will be introduced as the Peanut Gallery in next chapters Aftermath, and will have access to all sorts of...choices. Muahahaha.**

**What did you guys think of the chapter? Sorry if it seemed a little rushed, this is already over 13,000 words and I didn't want to drop 15-17k words on you and I also _really didn't _want to split it into two chapters. Personally, I'm really pleased with how I wrote Team Alpha. I know some characters like Jo, Bridgette and Sammy didn't do much this chapter, but their time will come, I promise.**

**Who do you think will be eliminated next? Will Team Alpha be able to recover, or will they crumble? Are Shawn and Jasmine unstoppable for the foreseeable future?**

**Thanks for reading, guys!**

**Ciao.**


	9. Aftermath I: Ale-HELL-ther!

**Ok, guys! Time for the very first Aftermath! I know these weren't super popular in canon, but I think I have some great twists and bits planned that'll make them a fun read. I also don't plan for these to be as long as regular chapters. I'm guessing they'll be between 6-10k, not 11-14k like the other ones have been. This one will likely be longer than the others to come, as I'm giving mini introductions to the Peanut Gallery.**

**Speaking of, they will finally be revealed this episode! The results made me chuckle. I will reveal the poll results at the end of the chapter. **

**Also: I'd like to give two shoutouts to two badass Comp Fics. If you haven't read these already and you love well done Comp Fics, PLEASE go check them out. **

**Total Drama: Battle of the Generations - StayOuttaMyShed**

**Total Drama - Return to Wawanakwa - BlueIceRedFire**

**It's been far too long since we've had multiple good Comp Stories going on at the same time. Go give them the love they deserve, they are AWESOME!**

**Without further ado, let's get into it!**

* * *

A worried looking stagehand ran by, frazzled. "Ten minutes till we're live, people!" Called another voice off-screen. The darkness faded to show the Aftermath Show set, currently empty sans a few crew members. The couches were all present, along with the large TV set that rested above the main couch.

"Where the hell are they?" The grumpy director barked. "They better not run late on us!"

"They'll be fine, Maurice." Someone replied off camera, though the grumpy director didn't look reassured.

The camera moved through the Aftermath set into the backstage area. It followed the narrow hallways and sharp corners until it arrived at a door with a gold star on it. The word "TALENT" was emblazoned on the gold star, and two people were sitting outside, banging on the door.

"C'mon, let us in!" Tyler demanded, thumping on the door.

The person behind him flipped her long raven hair over her shoulder, her usual look of annoyance plastered on her otherwise pretty face. Heather, the Queen of Mean, was much unchanged from her last appearance on Total Drama.

"His _ego_ is too big," Heather told Tyler bitterly, "he won't do it."

"I'm not talking to him," Tyler told her, still banging on the door. "C'mon, Lindsay!" Tyler, on the other hand, had shed his tracksuit for a more modern look; a red button-up shirt with dark blue jeans and his normal court shoes. He still had the headband, though.

The camera slid through the door to show the contents of the locked room. It was plush and extravagant, with comfy couches, a snack table, and a TV set complete with video games. There was a small hallway on the other side of the room that led to a couple of bedrooms. The main focus of the room was a wall of mirrors, in which two chairs were set in front of it. These chairs were currently occupied by two individuals. A handful of makeup artists bustled around them, fine-tuning their faces and hair while gossiping mindlessly.

"Just ignore them," Alejandro told his compadre in the chair next to him. "They are just jealous of us." Alejandro, much like Heather, hadn't changed much physically. After all, his motto was 'do not fix which is perfect'.

The other person in the chair shifted uncomfortably, "I don't think Tyler's jealous of me," Lindsay frowned. "Maybe Heather is, though." The only thing that had changed about Lindsay was her outfit. She now sported a much classier dress, one that clad her from chest to mid thigh, light blue to match her eyes.

"C'mon, babe!" Tyler's voice pleaded through the door. "Why are you doing this to me?!"

At her boyfriend's plea, the already unwilling Lindsay's resolve crumbled, and she rose from her chair. She walked over to the door and unlocked it. Hearing the click, Heather shoved Tyler out of the way to grab the door handle and threw the door open, nearly braining Lindsay in the process.

Alejandro, still sat in his chair, sighed a little as he saw the seething Heather through the mirror. Tyler entered right behind her, though he was much pacified as his girlfriend embraced him.

"Sorry he was being such a jerk, Tyler," Lindsay told him, kissing him on the cheek.

Alejandro smirked, unbothered by Lindsay's words. "I was not being a jerk," he told them, "but the door does say 'TALENT'. You two, most unfortunately, _don't_ fit that criteria."

"Which is a bunch of _bull_!" Heather vented, storming over to the sitting Latino and prodding him in the chest with a manicured finger.

Alejandro gently knocked Heather's hand away from him, "you know that wasn't my call," he said cooly, "Production wanted me and Lindsay as the hosts for the Aftermath."

"But why?!" Tyler complained, still hugging his smiling girlfriend. "I'd make a great host, too!"

"These kind of shows are different than you are used to, amigo," Alejandro shrugged, finally rising out of his chair in all his chiseled glory. His smirk returned, "perhaps Production wanted the two best looking people to host the show. You know how the vapid fans of trashy talk shows like this care about the beauty of the hosts."

Heather's eyes flashed dangerously. "And you think yourself and Lindsay are the two best looking people out of the Total Drama cast?"

"I believe my exact words were 'Production'," Alejandro evaded the question, "and it is merely an educated guess at that. What is _fact_ is that Lindsay and I are the hosts. I cannot see why you two take such an issue with this."

"Well I'll tell you my issue!" Tyler exclaimed, "these so-called fans love shipping people together! When they see you and Lindsay up there together all the time, what if they start shipping you two?! And then you guys get caught up in it, and she leaves me behind!" He glared at Alejandro, "I haven't forgotten World Tour, you already tried once!"

Alejandro had the decency to look slightly guilty, and he quickly approached Tyler and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Fear not, my friend. I have no desire to steal Lindsay away from you…not that she could be swayed even if I did."

"Yeah, Tyler," Lindsay agreed, happily nuzzling his cheek with hers, "I love _you_! Not Alejandro."

"And I have no intention of betraying my darling Heather," Alejandro continued, "so worry not, chica." He cupped her cheek in his hand.

Heather smacked the hand away, a little pink in the face. "It's not about that crap," she growled out, "it's the principle of it all! Why would they want this dolt Lindsay hosting when they could have me?! You and I hosting is way more appealing to the fanbase!"

"Hey!" Lindsay said angrily, "I am not a dolt!" She paused, then looked to her boyfriend, "dolt means stupid person, right?"

"Yup," Tyler replied.

"I knew it!" She turned back to Heather, glaring at her ex-leader from years prior. "You know Heather, I think I just happen to have what you don't, and that bugs you!"

Heather rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "This oughta be good," she mocked, "tell me Lindsay, what do _you_ have that _I _don't."

"I know how to be charming!" Lindsay replied hotly, "maybe the Producer-guy thinks you'd be too standoffish for a host job! You'd probably just glare at and insult all the contestants!"

"Yeah, so?" Heather scoffed, "That's good TV!"

Alejandro chuckled at that, and Heather turned her glare to him. "Something funny?" She snapped.

He was quick to raise his arms in surrender. "No. Nothing at all. But, chica, I think this is a battle you cannot win. Obviously, if I had it my way, you would be hosting with me. It is not our call," he nodded his head to include Lindsay. "I'm sure Lindsay would rather have Tyler than me, but that is just the way it is. You should be thankful you got any part in this at all. Most weren't invited back, and thus aren't getting paid for their time."

"The only reason Doofus and I have a part is because I put up such a stink about it!" Heather complained.

They were interrupted by the makeup artists. "Dude," one of them said, "5 minutes until go time. We gotta finish this up."

"You heard him," Lindsay said, staring cooly at Heather. "You have to go now."

"This isn't over," Heather warned, storming out of the room and slamming it behind her. Lindsay and Tyler shared a quick kiss before Tyler left as well, though he didn't slam the door.

Tyler and Heather walked back down the hallway towards the main stage, silent. Eventually, Heather couldn't take it anymore. "I can't let this happen!"

Tyler seemed to be a little more relaxed, "chill out, Heather. Al and Lindsay are right, they're not gonna get involved."

Heather stamped her foot like a small child wanting more candy, "that's not what I mean, Tyler!" The jock winced at her harsh tone, "the fact that Lindsay, that…._idiot_-"

In a movement surprisingly swift for someone as clumsy as Tyler, he closed the difference between them and gave her a cold stare. Heather flinched back, alarmed. The two stayed that way for a few seconds before Tyler uttered, "_watch yourself_," and backed off.

Heather blinked at his retreating form. "Listen here, dweeb," she called to him, "I have an idea. So get your mopey butt back here and listen to it. I think you'll like it."

Tyler stopped for a second, pondering her words. Eventually he sighed and turned around. "Spit it out."

Heather let out a victorious grin.

* * *

"Alright," Producerman barked. "Let's get this show on the road, people!"

Alejandro and Lindsay hurried to their main couch.

"Let us give them a show to remember, dear Lindsay," Alejandro told her smugly.

Lindsay clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay!"

"3…2…1…go!" The cameras flashed to life all around the stage.

"Welcome to the Generational Aftermath!" Lindsay and Alejandro cheered together. Alejandro took over the speaking. "We are you hosts, Alejandro," a suave latin tune played as the camera zoomed in on him, "and Lindsay!" The camera changed to a sweeter tune as it showed a bubbly Lindsay waving at the camera.

The audience erupted into cheers.

"Welcome to a whole new kind of Aftermath," Alejandro smirked, "we, of course, will be interviewing eliminated contestants…but there is more to this show than that!"

"That's right!" Lindsay chirped in, "but in order to proceed with any of that stuff, we have to introduce our Peanut Gallery!" The camera panned to the couches where the Peanut Galleries of Old had sat, but they were empty.

"We'll be calling them out one by one," Alejandro explained to the audiences confused reaction, "since this Peanut Gallery consists of old favorites voted by you, the fans!"

Lindsay giggled and clapped her hands, "Only 10 got to be chosen, so they're all pretty stoked to be here!"

A loud _CRASH _and some muffled shouting came from backstage, making both hosts jump. They kept their composure though.

Alejandro cleared his throat, "First up, it's a small man who was tough enough to endure a battle with me and Heather, although it did end in his eventual destruction…it's Cody!" He threw both his arms to the side to introduce the first member of the Peanut Gallery.

The man himself walked on stage, grinning. Noticeably, his adorkably gap-tooth grinned no longer existed, as he had gotten his teeth fixed in the years after Total Drama. That wasn't the only change, though. He had grown a few inches, and his hair and overall look was much more stylish. Slicked back hair and cool clothes, Cody looked every inch the ladies man he had once dreamed of becoming. The only thing that hadn't changed was his kind face, which was lit up in excitement as he walked past Alejandro and Lindsay to sit at the Peanut Gallery couch.

"Hi, Cody!" Lindsay greeted warmly. "How've you been?"

"Life's been good, Lindsay," Cody told her politely, his voice noticeably a bit deeper, "I'm finishing up my senior year in college and have been going out with a total babe for a couple of months!"

The audience erupted into cheers, and Alejandro let out a devilish chuckle. "So, mi amigo," he asked the ex-geek, "what of your stalk-uh, I mean, friend Sierra?"

Cody grimaced at her name. "Ugh, I don't know. Once the Ridonculous Race came out, she started pining after some poor sap on that show. One day she was texting me forty times a day, like usual. The next, no word. It's been that way for a while, now."

"Relieved?" Alejandro pressed on.

Cody shrugged, "In a way, I guess. I did value our friendship, but I always felt bad knowing I could never give her what she truly wanted."

"Aw, that's so sweet, Cody!" Lindsay told him. "But, and this is like a bummer, we can't spend too much time on all you guys, since we still have to introduce the rest of you guys, plus the peeps that were eliminated!"

"And don't forget the special twist," Alejandro added cryptically.

"That too!" Lindsay clapped. "Anyways, our next member of the Peanut Gallery is someone I like, totally look up to! She kicks butt! It's…LeShawna!"

The crowd cheered and cheered as LeShawna entered, her usually confident smirk on her face. The ghetto girl looked a lot less ghetto. She had lost some weight at no cost to her curves, and her weave was now in its natural afro state. She still wore her old clothes, though the sizers were smaller. She brushed by Alejandro without acknowledging him, but gave Lindsay a hug before sitting down next to Cody.

"It's good to see you, LeShawna!" Lindsay gushed, "how have you been?"

"Stuff's been good, girl," LeShawna said happily, "you know me, just doing my own thing, lovin' life!"

"Glad to hear it!" Alejandro said politely, "how does it feel to be back?"

"It feels weird," LeShawna admitted, "I can't decide if I like it, yet."

"At least we're getting paid," Cody joked, nudging LeShawna with his elbow playfully.

LeShawna let out a laugh, "True that, sugar. You're lookin' fly, by the way."

Cody grinned at her, "Why, thank you!"

"Next up we have heartthrob musician turned crazy boy, Trent!" Alejandro announced.

The applause was noticeably quieter than it had been for Cody and LeShawna, but Trent didn't seem bothered as he walked on stage. The musician walked on stage with his usual smile. The only notable difference to him was the handsome beard he now sported and his clothes. His shirt, which still had a black hand print on it, was now a dark green with black sleeves.

"You couldn't have sprung for a better intro?" Trent said jovially as he sat down next to Leshawna.

Alejandro chuckled at that, "Trent, it is good to see you."

"Likewise, to all you guys!" Trent said happily. "This was such an exciting time in my life, it feels surreal to come back and experience it again."

"So, fans are dying to know," Lindsay addressed him, "with Cody being in college, is it safe to assume the Drama Brothers are dead? We haven't had new music in years!"

"Unfortunately, yes," Trent said, an air of breeziness to his voice, "we left on good terms, but Cody wanted to go back to a normal life and Justin wanted to return to modeling. Harold and I are both still in the business, though we don't work together."

"And how has your music career been going, Trent?" Alejandro asked curiously.

Trent shrugged, "as well as to be expected, I suppose. I'm doing okay for myself."

"That's good to hear," Lindsay smiled, "next up, we have the strongest competitor ever to play the game…Eva!"

There was no applause as Eva stomped her way on stage. If anything, the crowd shuffled backwards as if they were one autonomous entity. This did not go unnoticed by Eva, but the buff girl just rolled her eyes. She looked very similar to how she had appeared in Total Drama. Same unibrow, same hulking muscles, same blue tracksuit. The only thing that was different was her hair, which was now in a pixie cut.

"Eva, love the new haircut!" Lindsay said.

"Thanks," Eva grunted, sitting next to an nervous Trent.

"So...Eva, how does it feel to be voted in as one of the few contestants to the Peanut Gallery, knowing that you tied in competing in less seasons than everyone from your generation?" Alejandro asked her, hoping to provoke a reaction.

Eva growled at him, and Trent, LeShawna and Cody scooted as far away from her as possible. That seemed to be the extent of her aggression, though, as she merely crossed her arms. "It's fine," she spat, "but I'm just here to get my paycheck and get the heck out. Total Drama was a complete waste of my time. All I get is mocking remarks." A vein in her temple began to throb.

With this ominous warning sign, even the mischievous Alejandro decided against further provocation, and instead turned off-stage to welcome the next Peanut Gallery member. "He's a gentle man known most for his unfortunate eliminations in all of his seasons…it's DJ!"

DJ walked on stage to loud applause. The brick house was just as bulky as ever, though he was now clean shaven. He had shed his skull cap but otherwise sported the same clothes. His fade was on point, too.

"Eeei, DJ!" Lindsay squealed, excitedly clapping.

"Hey, Lindsay," DJ greeted her, taking the final seat on the bottom row of the Peanut Gallery couches. "How are y'all?"

"So good, man," Trent said, offering him a knuckle bump. "Long time, no see."

"Good to see you, brother," DJ accepted the fist bump and turned to Lindsay, suddenly looking awkward. "Uh, Lindsay, did I ever apologize for screwing you over in Paris? That still eats me up." He looked down in shame.

Lindsay and the crowd both let out an 'awww'.

"DJ," Lindsay giggled, "you only apologized like, a _million _times! And for the millionth time, I totally forgive you!"

DJ slumped over, a relieved sigh escaping his lips. "Phew!"

"Easy there," LeShawna smirked, "don't need you keelin' on us, Deej."

DJ chuckled and all turned their attention to the next guest, who was being introduced by Alejandro.

"And now, we have one of our most popular contestants of all time, though I confess I do not understand _why_…it's Harold!"

Harold walked on stage to initial extreme applause, but that was cut short and replaced by gasps. Even Alejandro, Lindsay, and the Peanut Gallery looked surprised. Well, everyone but Trent.

To say Harold had a glow-up would be an understatement. He had filled out considerably, and he wore a short sleeved shirt that showed his rather large biceps. His acne had cleared and his beard grew in, which was long and fashionably styled. His ginger hair was now cut short and faded. His clothes were flashy, and he wore several gold chains around his neck. The only thing that remained similar were his glasses, which still gave his eyes that greenish tint.

"Hey guys!" Harold said happily, his voice also unchanged.

"Harold," Alejandro gaped, "you look…_good_!"

Harold flushed as he joined the other members of the Peanut Gallery. LeShawna looked like she was about to faint. "Gee, thanks, Alejandro," he chuckled. "Guess my genetics finally decided to hand me a win once puberty was over, huh?"

"So, what've you been up to?" Lindsay asked him.

Harold shrugged, "Life's been good, honestly. I combined my mad rap and beatbox skills with my talent for playing the keyboard and have kind of took off in the music industry."

Trent cupped his hands around his mouth, "which means he makin' _bannnnk_."

Harold giggled awkwardly, "Hey Trent, good to see you, man."

"Sup, H-bomb," Trent grinned.

"But yeah, I also got my third bachelors degree in environmental sciences, so I've just been touring North America while doing school online." Harold finished.

"You're doing school?!" Lindsay gaped, "but, like, why?! School sucked!"

Harold clutched at his heart dramatically, "learning does not suck, Lindsay! Gosh!"

At his signature, 'gosh', the crowd went wild. It seemed that, despite his physical appearance, Harold was still very much Harold. The nerd took his seat on the top row of the couches.

"Four more guests to introduce," Alejandro told the audience, "and this guest is _finally_ from a different generation! Known as one of the most underrated competitors in Total Drama history, she was one of many to have her run cut short in Total Drama: Revenge of the Island! It's Dawn!"

The crowd erupted into its loudest applause yet as the wispy little girl made her way on stage. The girl looked exactly the same as she had on Total Drama. So much that it was a little eerie.

"Welcome to the show, Dawn." Alejandro told her politely. "Excited to be here?"

"Very much so," Dawn said earnestly, "I always regretted being unable to forge long-lasting bonds with the people of Total Drama. Hopefully this is the chance I've been waiting for to remedy this!"

"Well we're stoked to have you, girl!" DJ said happily, making Dawn beam.

Alejandro was about to ask Dawn a question, but was cut off by another loud CRASH off screen. He and Lindsay exchanged a concerned look.

"Everything all good back there?" LeShawna asked, eyebrow raised.

"I…think so?" Alejandro guessed. Getting back on track, he shook his head to clear it and introduced the next guess. "Back to our original generation of campers, this young man found himself $500,000 richer when he won a different reality show: The Ridonculous Race! It's Geoff, everyone!"

The applause was almost as loud as Dawn's as the party boy danced his way on stage. The only notable change for him was that his button up was now _actually _buttoned up. Same cowboy hat, shorts, and sandals though.

"Whassap my peeps!" Geoff cheered, both to the crowd and his fellow ex-contestants. "So stoked to be here, man!"

He was greeted warmly by the others members of the Peanut Gallery. He took his seat and chuckled. "I gotta say…it's a little weird to be on this end of the Aftermath show!"

"That's right," Lindsay giggled, "after two seasons of hosting the show, its time to give someone else a turn!"

"I'll say," Geoff grinned, shooting the two of them finger guns.

"So, Geoff, how is it knowing you've cemented your name in Total Drama fame as a winner, even if you didn't technically win a season," Alejandro asked.

"Totally sweet, bro!" Geoff cheered, "after winning, me and my boy Brody decided to hit the books and we've been grinding out college ever since!"

"That's awesome!" Lindsay cheered, "what made you want to do that?"

Geoff pondered that a moment, and scratched his chin. "Well," he ventured, "when you come into some serious dough you're like 'wow, let's party!', right?"

Cody nodded, "naturally."

"But then my Mom and Pop were like, 'Geoff, if you play it smart, you can use this money to turn it into a foundation that will keep you and your loved ones secure for the rest of your lives!'" Geoff's eyes widened earnestly as he talked, "and that got me thinking….like, I want me and Bridge to live comfortable forever way more than one blowout party! But that requires being smart and stuff, which I've never been good at."

"No, really?" LeShawna said sarcastically.

Geoff chuckled good-naturedly and continued on with his story, "so Bridgette was like 'then get smart!' And I was like 'dope!' So, here we are."

"A thrilling tale," Alejandro said dryly. "Well, we're glad to have you. Now it is time to turn our attention to our penultimate Peanut. She is one of Total Drama's most notable competitors. Having competed in four seasons and cracking the top half in three out of her four attempts. It's…Courtney!"

There was a startling mix of cheers and boos as the old CIT walked onto the stage. She wore a fancy grey pantsuit and her hair was done up in a bun. She walked calmly to the couches and seated herself without a word.

"Courtney," Alejandro purred, sensing her discomfort, "how wonderful to have you back. How have you been?"

"No comment," Courtney said simply.

"Aw, don't be like that!" Lindsay pleaded, "c'mon, Courtney!"

Courtney leveled an irritated glare at the two hosts. "Look, I'll keep it simple. I _don't_ want to be here. I look back at this part of my life with nothing but disdain. I've moved on. I'm about to graduate law school and the only reason I haven't sued to get out of my contract is because we're actually getting paid for this. So I'm just here to be here, but I have no interest in reminiscing. I'm sorry but that's just how I feel."

Eva nodded her head, "now that's an attitude I can respect." She rumbled.

Alejandro looked a little put out, but recovered quickly. "Have it your way, then. Our final member might surprise you the most. He's got every reason to hate the show, but nonetheless had no qualms about coming back. Recovered and rejuvenated…er, mostly…it's Ezekiel!"

The crowd was fairly quiet as the prairie boy walked on stage. To be fair, he didn't look too bad. He had on his signature toque, though the lack of hair peaking out from it confirmed he was indeed bald. His greenish complexion was gone, though he was exceptionally pale. He smiled shyly at the camera to reveal intense braces that were fixing what had once been mangled teeth. He walked with a slight limp and went over to the Peanut Gallery, where everyone was eyeing him warily.

"Hey there, everyone," he said, sounding soothingly normal. "I'm excited to be back, eh!"

Courtney, for all her claims about not participating, couldn't keep her mouth shut. "How can _you_ be excited to be back? This show treated you horribly!"

"Yeah, dude. How can you be so chill?" DJ asked him, a lot more sympathetic than Courtney.

Ezekiel shrugged. "Life happens, eh. Besides, it's partially my own fault for letting the greed get the better of me y'know. I learned and grew from it, and I'm back to show people that I'm no longer a monster."

"That's surprisingly mature of you, Homeschool." LeShawna admitted.

Ezekiel looked puzzled. "Err, actually I go to community college, now."

"I still would have sued the pants off Total Drama for what they did to you," Courtney muttered.

"We were going to," Ezekiel told her, "but my therapy was so expensive that my parents just said if Total Drama paid for it all, we wouldn't come after them. They happily agreed."

"Well that's good to hear, amigo," Alejandro said, still looking a little wary of the prairie boy. "No…episodes, I take it?"

"Nah, that feral side of me is good and gone," Ezekiel assured him, "don't worry, I ain't like Hulkman or anything…I don't get all vicious when I'm mad." He chucked at his own joke.

"Um, actually he's called The Incredible Hulk," Harold corrected, "and that would be absurd because you were never exposed to Gamma Rays after tinkering with their particular effects."

Ezekiel nodded "Gesundheit."

Alejandro clapped his hands together, a smug smile on his face. "And there you have it, that's our Peanut Gallery!"

"It's not very 'generational'," Courtney couldn't help herself from pointing out. "There's nine of us from the original cast, and only one from the second generation."

"It's who the audience wanted to see," Alejandro shrugged.

"Yup," Lindsay agreed, "now, let's introduce our first eliminated contestant!"

_CRASH._

"Okay, what the heck is that noise?" Alejandro exclaimed, sitting up from his chair with an annoyed look on his handsome face.

"I dunno, I'll go check it out," Lindsay said, standing up as well. "You just introduce the first guest, okay?"

Alejandro nodded as Lindsay walked off stage. "Our first guest was hoping to be a heavy hitter of this season, but it seemed she showed her hand too early and to the wrong people! It's…Anne Maria!"

The crowd cheered as Anne Maria walked onto the stage, smiling and blowing kisses at the crowd. She took the seat on the opposite side of the Peanut Gallery, to the left of the main couches.

"Hey, gorgeous," Anne Maria winked at Alejandro, "how's it hanging?"

"I'm doing well, thank you," Alejandro told her politely. "But I must ask you…"

"How does it feel to be eliminated first?" Came a new voice, making the crowd and Alejandro gasp. Heather walked on stage, smug and smiling as she sat down next to Alejandro.

"Heather!" Alejandro greeted, trying and failing to hide his surprise. "er…where is Lindsay?"

"She's preoccupied," Heather said simply, still sporting the smug smile. "So I'm taking over." She adressed everyone: The Peanut Gallery, the crowd, and Alejandro. "Anyone got a problem with that?"

The crowed erupted into enormous cheers, and Heather gave Alejandro an unbearably smug 'I told you so' look.

"Good! Now, Anne Maria…" Heather turned to the Jersey Girl. "I have to admit, I was initially impressed when it seemed like you were going to go all out this season…but then it totally fell to pieces! What happened?"

Anne Maria sighed, the memories of her elimination obviously still a little sore. "Welp, I guess I just underestimated the power of friendship the losers on my team had with one anotha'. All we had to do was take out Fatso and then she, Brick and I woulda had numbers on the two survival geeks." She shook her head, "but _nooo_, she had to get all 'he's my friend' on me and rat me out! Can ya believe it?"

The crowd roared its sympathies, and Anne Maria looked flattered.

"So how have you been coping?" Alejandro asked her.

Anne Maria shrugged. "It's fine. The Playa des Losers is hella nice, lemme tell ya. Really takes the sting off leaving that crap-sack of an island."

"Speak for yourself," Eva muttered.

"So, now that you're out, who are you rooting for?" Alejandro asked her.

"Well, none of the goobers on my old team, that's for sure," Anne Maria scoffed, "I guess I'd be rooting for any of the peeps from my generation. We've been having a rough time of it."

"Very true," Heather smirked, "the first three to go are all from your generation. Guess we know which one sucks the most."

The crowd jeered, and Anne Maria narrowed her eyes as she pulled out a can of hair spray. She shook it menacingly, "watch ya self, toots."

Heather rolled her eyes, but Alejandro eyed the can of chemicals with fear. "Easy now," he placated, "well, thank you for your time, Anne Maria. Will you join the Peanut Gallery?"

"I guess," Anne Maria shrugged.

"There is a different bench for those who have been eliminated," Alejandro informed her, "don't bother trying to squeeze yourself with the other ten."

Anne Maria sat down at the bench and crossed her legs, waiting expectantly for the next guess to be introduced. Unfortunately, Heather and Alejandro were too busy having a whisper argument.

"What did you do?" Alejandro whispered angrily. "If you get me fired, Heather, I swear…"

"Oh relax," Heather whispered back with a scowl, "like I said, she's just preoccupied!"

* * *

"I can't believe she tore the front of my dress off!" Lindsay exclaimed.

It was true. Lindsay's beautiful blue dress was in tatters, and her entire top half, from shoulder to belly button, was exposed. She had solved this issue by wrapping Tyler in a hug to shield herself from awkward crewmen that ran all around backstage.

"Yeah, what kind of monster strength does she have anyway?" Tyler asked, looking perfectly content.

"And now she's out there hosting," Lindsay continued to complain, "that's _my_ job!" She looked pitifully up at Tyler, "you weren't in on this, were you Tyler?"

"Err…well I didn't know she was gonna tear out your dress." Tyler told her honestly. "But yeah, she said she had a plan to get you back here so she could host. But she promised she'd make it up to us!"

"And you believed her?" Lindsay exclaimed, "it's _Heather_! I would so smack my own forehead in disbelief if I wasn't topless right now!"

Tyler chuckled awkwardly, "alright, here we go. Let's get you some new clothes." He wrapped his own arms around Lindsay and scooped her up, trying not to get too distracted.

"To the Talent room, noble steed!" Lindsay decreed playfully, "just don't trip!"

* * *

At Alejandro's persistent steely look, Heather crossed her arms. "Y'know," she whispered fiercely, "you'd think you'd be a little happier to have you _girlfriend_ host the show than some bimbo!"

"Uh, y'know we can hear you guys, right?" LeShawna asked.

The two arch-villains glanced at each other. Both of their faces read the same message: _this isn't over. _However, they returned to the business at hand.

"Our next competitor seemed to be in the early stages of setting his game up, when one phone call changed everything," Heather announced, "because apparently going to some lame-o fashion school is better than winning a million bucks. It's Brick!"

The crowd cheered as Brick walked on stage, waving happily. The cadet had a laptop tucked under his arm, which he put on the couch next to him as he sat. "Brick McArthur, reporting for duty," he said happily.

"Brick, ignore my co-host," Alejandro advised him, "I believe what you did was noble and smart. Throwing away a chance at money to follow your dreams? That takes guts."

"Sure doesn't take any brains," Heather sneered.

Brick just smiled at them. "Thank you, Alejandro," he said politely, "I knew what had to be done. I'm just sorry to leave my team the way I did. Especially Bridgette. I hope she isn't too mad at me."

"Nah, don't worry, dude!" Geoff hollered from the Peanut Gallery, "I'm sure she understands!"

Brick looked comforted by his kind words.

"So," Alejandro continued, "I trust that laptop there is for your work?"

"Affirmative. They've been keeping me busy as a soldier ant," Brick nodded, "but it'll be worth it when I get to go to Paris in the fall!"

"Paris? Very nice indeed," Alejandro smiled, "thank you for your time, Brick."

Brick smiled and nodded as the crowd cheered again. He walked over to sit next to Anne Maria and opened his laptop, beginning to type rapidly on his computer.

"Whatcha working on?" The girl asked, peering over his shoulder.

"An essay on why cashmere doesn't go with denim," Brick told her, tilting the screen a little so she could see, "but I'm kind of stuck on the pants-ascot clause."

"Didja mention that fiasco back in the seventies?" Anne Maria offered.

Brick snapped his fingers. "I didn't! Good call, soldier!" His typing became even more rapid.

Heather turned to face the audience, "our third guest had a shot at overtaking Zoey's formidable 'best average placements of all time' title, but was blindsided and found himself an early boot. It's the big-time doofus, ex-schemer, Scott!"

Crowd reception was surprisingly positive as Scott walked onto the stage. Even he looked a little alarmed as he made his way to the couch and sat down.

"So, Scott…" Heather remarked, "surprised to be here?"

"A little," Scott admitted. "I thought things were going pretty well, all things considered."

"You did seem to be bonding with some members of your team," Alejandro agreed, "where did it all go wrong?"

"That stupid Post-Challenge-Prize screwed me over," Scott sneered, crossing his arms, "if it hadn't been for that, Gwen wouldn't have begged for Duncan's forgiveness, which would've led to her, me and Sammy voting for him, and I woulda crushed him in the tiebreaker!"

"It is unfortunate," Heather admitted, "which also makes it hilarious. Seeing you sitting there like an idiot after being blindsided was _extremely _satisfying."

A vein throbbed in Scott's temple, "I dunno if I'd be taunting other people's blindsides, Missy," he snapped, "All-Stars ring any bells?"

The crowd let out a loud "ooooh" as Heather flushed in anger while Alejandro choked down a laugh. Heather noticed and glared at him, and Alejandro tried unsuccessfully to turn his laugh into a cough.

"Swiftly moving on," the charmer continued, ignoring his seething co-host, "let's talk about _Sammy_."

"Pfft, what about her?" Scott asked, leaning back in the couch.

"How do you _really_ feel about her? You two had a surprising friendship, to say the least," Alejandro told him, "is it going to blossom into anything more?"

The dirt farmer rolled his eyes. "Doubt it," he told them, and the two co-hosts raised their eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, she's pretty, sure…and smart. Delicious devious streak, too." His tone got a little longing and eyes got suspiciously moony, "with hair like corn silk…"

The crowd jeered and laughed, and Scott shook himself out of his stupor. A little pink in the face, he glared out at the crowd. "But no! I learned my lesson with Courtney. Relationships on this show just don't work…unless you're Geoff and Bridgette."

"Ayyy-ohh!" Geoff cheered from the Peanut Gallery.

"That's interesting," Heather said devilishly, ready to get her comeback from his All-Stars jape, "Alejandro, why don't we play the tape?"

"An excellent idea, mi amor," Alejandro responded with a grin to match hers. "This should be enlightening for you, Scott."

* * *

**(Flashback Clip : Rest Night #1.) **

"Ok, Sammy! Truth or dare!" Gwen told Sammy.

"Err…I'm gonna go with truth on this one," Sammy said, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. She was the only one not to select dare yet.

"Haha, you're about to learn that some truths are more painful than dares," Gwen grinned, "…who's the cutest boy here?"

Sammy turned a vibrant shade of pink. Everyone leaned in expectantly and the shy girl covered her face in embarrassment.

"She's gonna take a shot," Jo said dismissively, "she won't say."

"Nah, she's tipsy enough," Jasmine told Jo, her dark eyes twinkling, "though I reckon I know who it is, eh Sammy?"

"Ugh, fine," Sammy said, uncovering her face and looking determined. It didn't help that she was still pink in the face though, but there was a defiant note in her voice as she crossed her arms and mumbled, "I _guess_ I'd have to say…Scott."

Bedlam.

(**End Flashback Clip: Rest Night #1.)**

* * *

The bedlam from the clip was mirrored in the audience and Peanut Gallery.

"There's no way that innocent little girl likes weasley old you!" LeShawna guffawed, slapping her thighs with her hands.

"Damn, I've still got a lot to learn about wooing the ladies," Cody muttered, "I should just be a stupid jerk!"

The crowd was laughing, applauding, and booing. Scott was bright red as he desperately tried to formulate some kind of response.

Alejandro and Heather both looked very pleased with themselves for putting Scott in such an uncomfortable position. Once the bedlam had died down a little bit, Heather moved in for the kill.

"So, after seeing that, what do you think, Scott?"

Scott huffed and threw his arms up in exasperation, "what do you mean? Plenty of gals think I'm cute. It doesn't mean anything!"

"But surely it warrants a talk with her, no?" Alejandro chimed in, "Sammy would likely make a very fun girlfriend. Especially since she's so out of your league."

"She is _not_ outta my league!" Scott whined.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," Heather smirked.

"Whatever, am I done now?" Scott grumbled, "let's get this stupid show over with so I can go back to fancy living at the Playa."

"Sure, go take a seat with the other big-time _Losers,_" Heather told him, "and for the record, I never did as badly as third boot."

Scott just let out a disgusted grunt as he sat next to Brick on the top bench of the Peanut Gallery.

"This next guest ought to be entertaining," Alejandro dressed the cameras.

"Yeah, if by entertaining you mean _whiny and obnoxious_," Heather added.

"Didn't realize you were our next guest, Heather!" Eva heckled, earning some laughs from the audience.

Heather glared at the fitness buff before returning her focus to the cameras. "Our next guest might've found love on the show, but she also found out how much people _love_ to destroy couples! It's Sky!"

The crowd cheered as Sky walked on stage. Though she definitely looked grumpy at first, her annoyance faded slightly when she saw the positive reception she was getting. She offered a small wave to the crowd as she took her seat across from Heather and Alejandro.

"Hey guys," Sky offered politely, "how are you?"

"We'll be asking the questions here," Heather said sharply, making Sky flinch.

"I am well, thank you," Alejandro said, giving Heather a pointed look.

"Uhh…okay then," Sky shrugged, "fire away."

"Well first is the stupid romance question which some fans want to know about," Heather said impatiently, "do you think your relationship with Lightning can continue outside of the game?"

Sky gave the two a confident nod, "Absolutely! If anything, our relationship was _hindered_ by the game, not created by the game."

"Unlike our _wonderful_ co-hosts!" Eva heckled again.

"Zip it, Eva!" Heather barked.

"Heh, this whole Peanut Gallery thing might not be so bad," Eva grinned. Trent, who was next to her, chuckled.

"Continue, Sky," Alejandro told the short girl.

Sky nodded, "I think our new relationship will flourish outside of the game. He's really special to me."

"Ugh, how anyone could like that brainless bonehead is beyond me, but whatever floats your boat I guess," Heather told her, earning a frown from Sky. "Anyways, let's get into the real meat of why you're here. Your elimination! Still sore about it?"

The scowl returned to Sky's face full-force. "You bet I am!" She said angrily, "I'll never forgive Noah for lying to me."

"So you do think it was Noah?" Heather asked, surprised.

Sky faltered a bit, "well…yeah? Wasn't it?"

"It was, I'm just surprised you were smart enough to figure it out," Heather smirked. "And it seems Noah now has your boy-toy wrapped around his little finger."

"That slimy little garbage-stain," Sky growled, "when I finally get my hands on him…" she throttled an imaginary neck, making the audience 'ooh' and 'aah'.

"Yes, it's quite shocking," Alejandro smirked, "Zoey was going to have the rest of the team eliminate Lightning, but it was Noah, and Noah alone, that convinced her to switch to you. I must admit, I'm impressed with the little man. Who knew he had such a talent for manipulation?"

"Well, the nerds original stereotype _was_ 'The Schemer', but the studio changed it after he got booted so early in Island because they were embarrassed at making him seem like a main player," Heather scoffed. "But yeah, you got rolled and smoked by Noah, Sky. Big time."

Sky looked on the verge of a freak-out, and was taking deep, loud breaths to try and remain calm. "I'm. Aware." She panted.

"Uh, guys?" Harold asked the devious couple, "I think she's gonna blow…"

Alejandro and Heather exchanged a look. Which would be the better option? They _could_ choose to slowly deflate the swelling balloon of anger in front of them with soothing words…or perhaps they should pop and explode it with one final jibe? They nodded at each other, on the same page.

"As an aspiring Olympian, how shameful to be bested by a scrawny bookworm," Alejandro tutted.

"Must be soul crushing," Heather chimed in.

"It's just not FAIR!" Sky screamed, jumping to her feet and kicking over the couch. "Lightning and I were supposed to go far together, kicking butt! But Noah _ruined_ it!"

Security guards rushed on stage to contain Sky, an grabbed her arms.

"Let go of me!" Sky shouted, kicking and squirming, "okay, fine! Fine! I'll calm down, okay? Jeez!"

Alejandro nodded at the security guards and they walked over to the couch, depositing Sky next to Scott.

"Thank you for the entertainment," Alejandro told her graciously.

"You two think you can just sit there and mock me?" Sky spat, "you two better watch your backs."

"Ooh, I'm terrified," Heather said sarcastically. "Let's get onto our final guest, shall we? This big doofus is…well he's just a doofus that got placed on a team full of better players…it's Rodney!"

Polite applause rang out as the huge Rodney entered via stage left. He clumped over to Heather and Alejandro. "Hey guys," he greeted with a smile. He noticed the couch being overturned and bent down, easily flipping it back to its rightful position with just one meaty paw.

"Such strength," Alejandro complimented as Rodney took a seat, "surely your team will be missing that now that you're gone?"

Rodney chuckled, "you'd think, eh? But naw, they got Lightning and Zoey, so they won't miss me much. I know I'll miss them, though. I liked all my teammates," his smile faded a bit, "except for Noah…"

"Noah does seem to be an unpopular figure with his teammates," Heather agreed, "or, at least the ones that he's betrayed."

"So it _was_ him?" Rodney asked, still not completely sure of the circumstances surrounding his elimination.

"Yes, it was," Alejandro confirmed, "in a startling good maneuver, once he discovered you had went against the previous plan and voted for him instead of Sky…"

"Wait, Rodney didn't vote for me?" Sky asked from the Loser Bench.

Rodney blushed, "Uh..naw, I couldn't do it. I just thought you didn't deserve to go home, so I changed at the last second." His blush faded and he looked confused instead, "wait, how did Noah find out I bailed on the plan?"

"When you let slip to Izzy and Zoey about it, Izzy ran right along and let slip to Noah." Heather explained, enjoying the way Rodney's face fell.

"Izzy!" He proclaimed, shocked, "I thought I could trust her!"

"I bet you could, normally," Alejandro offered, "but since Noah's main target was Zoey, someone who Izzy is friends with, she jumped at the opportunity to shift the target onto you. It worked, as Noah considered your unpredictability too much of a threat to keep around."

"Heh, well look at the bright side," Rodney said optimistically, "at least I was eliminated for being a threat."

"If being a blabby-mouthed idiot is the same as being a threat, then I guess," Heather said dryly, "like seriously, if you had kept your mouth shut, we'd be interviewing Zoey right now."

Rodney smacked his forehead. "Me and my big mouth," he lamented. "At least I got 5000 bucks out of it!"

"That you did," Alejandro agreed, "and your team will have to suffer the consequences because of it."

Rodney shrugged, "It's the least they deserve for falling for all of Noah's schemes. I _knew_ I couldn't trust that guy!"

"Hindsight is 20/20 indeed," Alejandro mocked. "Thank you for your time, Rodney."

Rodney smiled and stood up, waving at the applauding crowd as he went and took the final seat of the top row of the Loser Bench.

"Now, before we wrap up," Alejandro told the audience, "it's time to reveal the big twist about the Peanut Gallery!"

"Oh, nuh-uh!" Courtney said instantly, standing up indignantly, "I am _not_ participating in any twist! Big or otherwise!"

"Just sit down, girl," LeShawna muttered, "y'all know we don't got a choice in any of this."

"LeShawna, for once, is right," Heather smirked. "Now, while we set up the event, let's take a look at some hilarious clips of the losers on the island getting all messed up. It's time for…That's Gonna Leave a Mark!"

The audience cheered wildly as the familiar jingle began to play, showcasing a series of clips never-before seen on the show.

* * *

**(That's Gonna Leave a Mark Ep #1.)**

The clip opened with a familiar cheery tune, a stark contrast to the footage being shown.

Duncan and Scott were playing a vicious round of ping pong in the Rec Center. The camera zoomed in on Duncan's eyes as the ball zoomed in towards him, and he hit the ball back with all his might. The ball flew right into Scott's crotch, and the boy collapsed in agony. Duncan laughed, but instantly ate the paddle that had flown from Scott's hand in his pain. Both boys rolled around the floor screaming.

Gwen opened the door to the Confessional. Inside was the chubby intern with the glasses. He jumped in surprise at being interrupted. Gwen karate kicked him in the face and closed the door, dusting off her hands.

The shot cut forward to Rodney opening the Confessional. The previously unconscious intern woke due to the noise. Rodney frowned at him, picked him up with one hand, and yeeted him over the horizon. He dusted off his hands and entered the Confessional.

Jo was running along the forest, minding her own business, when out of nowhere the chubby glasses intern came screaming out of the sky and crashed right into her. Jo skidded on the ground, the tubby boy on top of her. She threw him off, picking dirt out of her mouth, and kicked the chubby intern in the kiwis. The intern curled up and cried as Jo stormed off. Then a bird dookied into the interns open, sobbing mouth.

Sky and Lightning were snuggling on Lightning's bed, relaxing after a challenge. Off screen, a boom mic fell and nailed Sky in the eye. Lightning got up to protest this, but accidentally deep throated the mic as he got up too quickly. He began to choke and collapsed on Sky, pinning the girl under his weight. The camera moved to show two cameramen laughing at them.

Noah opened the door to the boys trailer and took in a deep breath. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and a warm breeze flew through the air. He took one step and twisted his ankle, bashing his face into the dirt.

Beardo walked to the bathroom in his PJs, whistling happy as he walked. His eyes widened as something bull rushed him from off screen. That thing turned out to be a wrecking ball, and it smashed into the beatboxer and sent him flying off screen.

* * *

"That always was my favorite segment," Heather said fondly.

"It always does elicit a chuckle or two," Alejandro agreed.

Some stuff had changed on the Aftermath set. The guest couch used to interview the eliminated contestants was gone, replaced with a large table. On said table were 10 cans of soda. Each had a smiling face of Chris McLean on it.

"And now it's time to reveal to our audience the special twist," Alejandro announced mischievously. "When the merge of Total Drama Generations takes place…" he swept a hand out to the Peanut Gallery bench, "_one_ of these fine people will be joining the remaining contestants!"

Gasps erupted throughout the crowd and the Peanut Gallery. Some, like Cody, LeShawna and Dawn, looked pretty excited about the prospect of returning. Other's like DJ, Courtney and Eva, looked less enthused.

"So here's how it works," Heather explained, "five of these cans of soda are rigged with small explosives, which will explode hilariously all over you losers. The other five are filled with golden soda. If your can doesn't explode, you will have a chance to be voted into the game by the fans!"

"Seriously?" Cody said excitedly, knowing how popular he was, "that's awesome!"

"Awesome indeed," Alejandro agreed, "one by one I shall call your names. Go stand next to a can, but do not open it until we say so."

One by one, Heather called the names of the Peanut Gallery. They all chose a can, peering nervously down at it.

"Figures I get last pick," Eva scoffed, standing at the last can.

"Eva, you have the honor of opening the first can," Alejandro told her, "will you be shunned a chance of competing once again, or finally be able to try?"

"At this point, I could give a crap," Eva grunted, popping the top of the soda. The audience waited with baited breath. After a few seconds, the can swelled up and burst, drenching the fitness buff in sticky brown cola. The can's life was shortly ended after Eva crumpled it into a ball and hurled it into the crowd. "Good!" She roared, "I don't care anyways!"

Next up was Harold. The nerd apprehensively sniffed the can, as if that would tell him what lay in wait for him. "Well here goes nothing," he muttered, gingerly popping the top and expecting the worse. After a few seconds of waiting, however, it appeared that the can was not going to explode. Harold carefully poured a little soda out and it was a bright golden color.

"And Harold is the first person to get a chance to make it back into the game," Heather rolled her eyes as the crowd erupted into cheers, "hasn't the dweeb tortured you viewers enough with his nonsense?"

"My knowledge is not _nonsense_," Harold protested, "maybe if you were a little more receptive to learning!"

"Well, here goes nothing," Trent shrugged, "I'm kinda hoping this _doesn't_ explode all over me." The can responded by exploding all over him. Trent pushed his sticky, sopping hair out of his eyes with his usual easy smile. "Well, guess that's that." The crowed let out a collective 'aww'.

"No luck for Trent," Alejandro noted, "who will be the next camper to get themselves a potential route back into the game?"

"Here goes nothin', dudes!" Geoff cheered, happily popping the top and waiting with a goofy smile. _BANG_. The can exploded, drenching the whooping party boy. The crowd was noticeably upset by this, but Geoff gave them a placating hand gesture. "It's all good, everyone! It would've been tough for me to take time off school anyways!"

DJ held his can as far away from his body as possible, looking terrified at the prospect of it exploding all over him. "Are you sure this is safe?" He whimpered before he pulled the tab.

Heather shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"That makes me feel so much better," DJ rolled his eyes, finally popping the top. He let out a little squeal, but to his relief nothing happened. To confirm, he poured out some golden soda.

"And DJ takes spot number two!" Alejandro exclaimed as the crowd cheered.

Cody crossed his fingers on one hand as he popped the top of his can, still on the table. Unfortunately for the geek, the can exploded all over him, staining his fancy clothes. The crowd started to boo, as if the can not containing golden soda was somehow Alejandro and Heather's fault.

"Damn! I really wanted a shot at going back, too!" Cody pouted, "what a mess…"

LeShawna let out a cheer as she poured her golden soda onto the floor. "That's what I'm talking about, baby!" She looked out over the cheering crowd, "LeShawna is gonna bring it, y'all!"

"Ugh, of course," Heather grumbled, looking like she just swallowed sandpaper, "LeShawna takes spot number three."

There were only three people that had yet to open their cans: Courtney, Dawn and Ezekiel.

"Pretty good odds, eh?" Ezekiel offered, "two of us get in."

Dawn nodded, her blond locks fluttering around her face, "Indeed," she said solemnly. She cracked the top of her soda, not looking alarmed. "It seems the universe has deemed me worthy to receive a chance at redemption! I shall try to make the most of it." To prove her point, the can miraculously tipped over, spilling its golden ichor to the ground.

"And Dawn makes it as well! Just one spot left," Alejandro announced, "Who will get in? Ezekiel, or Courtney?"

The two ex-campers looked down at their cans. "Good luck, eh," Ezekiel picked up his can.

"Yeah, whatever," Courtney scoffed, picking up a can of her own. She paused, peering intently at the can, and put it back down. "Switch cans with me, Ezekiel."

Ezekiel paused, just about to open his own can. "Eh? Why?"

"Just do it!" Courtney said impatiently, sliding her can down the table towards Ezekiel.

"Can she do that?" Heather whispered to Alejandro. He just shrugged in response.

"C'mon, slide me yours! Any day, now!" Courtney barked.

A nervous Ezekiel looked a little overwhelmed by the situation, and clumsily slid his can down towards the classy girl.

Courtney easily scooped it up, turned towards the crowd, and pulled the top of the can just like one would pull the pin in a grenade. The can soared overheard for a few seconds before exploding into a spray of brown soda. The crowd cheered and gasped as some of the front row members got drenched.

Courtney breathed a silent sigh of relief and turned back to Ezekiel. "Good luck," she told him simply, walking back over to the Peanut Gallery couches.

A surprised Ezekiel popped the top of his soda can to reveal the golden soda.

"And that solidifies it," Heather confirmed, "the five people that you, the audience, get to vote back into the completion are: Dawn, DJ, LeShawna, Ezekiel, and Harold!"

The five waved sheepishly to the crowd as everyone roared their approval.

"Too bad for the rest of you," Heather continued, shooting a mocking glance towards the wet Eva, Cody, Trent and Geoff. "At least Courtney had the good sense to avoid getting soaked, even if she did throw away her chance at getting into the game."

"Please," Courtney scoffed, "this is exactly the way I wanted it to be. At least while I'm on the Aftermath I can focus on work when we're not filming."

The rest of the Peanut Gallery joined her on the couches.

"That looked like a lot of fun," Rodney noted, "too bad we can't do cool stuff like that."

_"_All in good time," Alejandro said cryptically, "now, we are almost out of time, but we have _one_ more little tease to give you guys before we're done."

Heather gave the camera a smirk, "That's right. There's going to be a _big_ twist come the merge, and we're here to give you just the tiniest hint of what it might be. Is everyone ready?"

The crowd roared its approval.

"Okay, listen carefully, cause it's an audio cue and will only be played once," Alejandro warned them. "Here we go…"

The entire area fell completely silent. The people on the Loser Bench and Peanut Gallery leaned in, straining their ears. Everyone in the crowd waited with baited breaths.

Suddenly, a horrifically loud noise filled the venue. A cacophony of incompressible sound filled the area from floor to ceiling. It was unintelligible and undefinable. All everyone knew is that it was just loud as hell. This continued for about ten seconds before it stopped abruptly, leaving everyone in shock. Even Alejandro and Heather looked frazzled.

"Uh, I think your PA system might be toast," Cody chuckled.

Alejandro put a hand up to his ear piece, "no, I'm being told that was the correct audio cue," he said, looking a little annoyed, "they could've at least warned us about it," he muttered.

"That was just a bunch of noise!" Eva said angrily. "What kind of lame hint is _that_?!"

"It's the hint! Deal with it." Heather told everyone. "What does it mean? No clue! I guess we'll have to wait until the merge to figure it out!"

Alejandro nodded in agreement, "and with that, we are out of time, everyone!" The crowd let out a bunch of sad, pathetic noises. "I know, I'm sad too…but never fear! Next time you see us, we'll have five more losers to talk to, and it will be revealed which Peanut Gallery member will be returning to the game!"

"Until next time, _I'm _your host, Heather!" Heather began the sign off.

"And I'm your host, Alejandro," Alejandro raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "We'll catch you guys next time, on…"

The two said it together, "Generational Aftermath!"

The cameras cut, and the grumpy director yelled "that's a wrap! Good job, everyone!"

"See, told you I could host," Heather smirked at Alejandro as crewmen began to flood the stage.

Alejandro nodded, "I never doubted your ability, chica. Hopefully you have impressed the powers-that-be. Speaking of which, how did you get Tyler to approve of your plan, assuming he was in on it? I doubt he would take too kindly to you just openly stealing Lindsay's limelight."

"I had to make a deal with him," Heather told him as the two got up from the couch and began walking backstage.

Alejandro looked intrigued, "oh? What deal was this?"

"That he and Lindsay host the next Aftermath together."

"WHAT?!"

"Easy, easy," Heather soothed him, "like that's actually gonna happen. The producers will tell us that we were the best and to stick with us. If they don't…well we'll just have to figure out some way of double crossing those idiots. Shouldn't be too hard."

"I do love it when you talk dirty," Alejandro sighed, wrapping his arm around her as they headed for the Talent Room.

Heather leaned into his embrace with a haughty smirk, opting to say nothing at all. The arrived at the Talent Room and entered without knocking.

"Eep!" They were met with Lindsay and Tyler kissing on the couch,. The former of which was now wearing Tyler's shirt. Wearing was a strong term, though, as it was not buttoned up at all. Tyler was now bare chested and Lindsay quickly buttoned up her shirt, both pink in the face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Heather cried, covering her eyes in disgust.

"Hey, this is the Talent Room," Tyler told her, "we're _all_ Talent now, so get used to it!"

"Eei, we're gonna be sharing this room like, all the time!" Lindsay cheered, running over to the annoyed couple. "We should get sleeping bags and do a slumber party!"

Alejandro and Heather eyed each other in horror. They had gotten what they wanted…but at what cost?

* * *

**And thus concludes the first Aftermath! What did you guys think? I cranked this out in two days lol, it came so easy to me for some reason! Personally, I think it's pretty solid. I hope I kept it interesting with the Peanut Gallery, the losers, then the little twist with the returnee! **

**That's right, YOU GUYS will pick which of the five come back at the merge! There's also going to be TWO previously eliminated contestants returning as well, for a total of THREE-PERSON MERGE RETURN! However, I will be choosing the two to come back from the cast. I had to narrow down the 10 chosen a little bit, but you get to choose which of DJ, Dawn, Harold, Ezekiel and LeShawna will return. THE POLL IS ON MY PROFILE! GET VOTING! You have until the next Aftermath chapter gets posted! **

**What did you guys think of the hint? Any guesses as to what it might be?**

**Here are the results of the Peanut Gallery Poll: **

**1st: Dawn - 47 votes.**

**2nd: Courtney - 41 votes.**

**3rd: Geoff - 39 votes.**

**4th: LeShawna - 38 votes.**

**5th: Harold - 37 votes. **

**6th/7th: Eva - 34 votes.**

**6th/7th: Trent - 34 votes.**

**8th: Cody - 32 votes.**

**9th/10th: DJ - 31 votes.**

**9th/10th: Ezekiel - 31 votes.**

**11th: Topher - 28 votes.**

**12th/13th: Dave - 27 votes.**

**12th/13th: Dakota - 27 votes.**

**14th/15th: Amy - 22 votes.**

**14th/15th: Scarlett - 22 votes.**

**16th: Sierra - 20 votes.**

**17th/18th/19th: Katie - 18 votes.**

**17th/18th/19th: Mike - 18 votes.**

**17th/18th/19th: Ella - 18 votes.**

**20th/21st: Cameron - 17 votes.**

**20th/21st: Max - 17 votes.**

**22nd: Justin - 15 votes.**

**23rd/24th: B - 13 votes.**

**23rd/24th: Sam - 13 votes.**

**25th: Sadie - 11 votes. **

**26th/27th: Beth - 8 votes.**

**26th/27th: Leonard - 8 votes. **

**28th: Sugar - 7 votes.**

**29th: Staci - 6 votes.**

* * *

**I can't believe NONE of the TDPI characters were voted in and that 9/10 were OG's. LOL. But hey, you guys make the call. Just like you make the call for who returns. So, did you like the Aftermath? Anything you'd like to see tweaked a bit? Let me know! Thanks again for all the support, you guys are the best! **

**Ciao! **


	10. Getting Board of This Game!

**Time for the next update. Let's get on with it! I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while, as it kicks off the next fifth of the story as a whole!**

_**VOTE FOR WHICH PEANUT GALLERY MEMBER YOU WANT TO RETURN AT THE MERGE ON THE POLL IN MY PROFILE!**_

**Without further ado, let's get into it! **

* * *

The episode opened on the night of Rodney's elimination. The night was in full swing, and a handful of campers had already retired to bed. A calming tune played as the camera panned across the dark camp before finally coming to rest on the Rec Center. A quick cut inside showed Beardo, Gwen and Duncan still staring intently at a TV screen. A game controller was clutched in each of their hands, and the coffee table in front of them was full of empty snack bags and beer bottles.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Duncan said under his breath, eyes wide as he furiously pressed a combination of buttons. His on screen character got squished by a giant zombie and the delinquent let out a gasp unbefitting of his punk status. "No! He got me, I'm dead!"

"It's okay, we got this," Gwen said confidently. Her 16-bit sprite took out a machine gun launcher and began to pepper the colossal zombies with bullets.

Duncan placed his controller on the couch next to him and reached for a chip bag. When he realized it was empty, he scowled and crumpled the bag, tossing it carelessly over his shoulder.

"No!" Gwen attempted to dodge a massive swipe of the boss's rotting paw but mistimed it, getting smacked off screen and dying. "God damn it!"

"This is our thirteenth attempt," Duncan sighed, running one hand through his mohawk as he took a sip of beer with the other, "If we can't get this done next time I quit."

"No need," Beardo spoke up, eyes narrowed in concentration as he flicked the joysticks with surprising precision. "He's low, I just need to get this C4 on the back of his head and it's game over."

"Be careful though, his spine comes out and strangles you if you take too long," Duncan warned, "remember attempt #7?"

Beardo winced, "don't remind me…" His character ducked under a kick of the zombie and hooked his knife into the back of the final boss's thigh. He quickly scaled the back of the zombie, getting closer to the head.

Duncan and Gwen were leaning forward in anticipation. Gwen took an almighty sip of her beer to calm her nerves as the two willed Beardo to finish his mission.

Beardo's character leapt onto the back of the zombie's head and planted the C4. At the same time, the zombie's spine burst from it's back and headed right towards his sprite.

"Look out! It's too fast!" Gwen cried.

"I know!" Beardo replied, sweat dripping down his face as he took out his rocket launcher. He aimed it right at the spine.

Duncan gripped his head in panic, "no! The spine is indestructible! It won't work!"

Beardo fired, and the rocket exploded uselessly against the spine. The spine continued forward, but stopped abruptly. The propulsion from the rocket launcher had launched Beardo's character out of range, and he fell to the ground, alive. The beatboxer mimicked a shotgun cocking as his character detonated the C4, and the zombie's head exploded into gruesome 16-bit gore.

"YES!" All three cheered, jumping to their feet as a victory tune began to play from the TV. Duncan and Gwen's characters respawned and began to dance.

"Let's go, Beardo!" Gwen cheered, wrapping the boy in a hug as Beardo mimicked the victory tune that was playing from the TV. To their left, Duncan was mimicking the choppy dance from the characters, grinning.

Beardo and Gwen separated and the boy wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That was hella close," he admitted, "I wasn't sure that was gonna work."

"Who cares," Duncan cackled, still dancing, "we blew his freakin' head off!"

"We?" Gwen repeated incredulity creeping into her smiling tone, "didn't you get squished right off the bat? And stop dancing, you look like a total dork."

"Yeah and who got to the final stage as a solo on attempt #3 when you and Beardo got annihilated?" Duncan asked. He didn't stop the dancing, making Beardo laugh and Gwen roll her eyes.

Suddenly, Beardo's stomach rumbled. "Oh snap, I think we missed dinner," he noted, patting his stomach.

"Really? What time is it?" Gwen asked, turning to look at the clock that was above the mini fridge. Her eyes bugged, "11:45!?"

That finally got Duncan to stop his obnoxious dancing, "wait, seriously?" He asked, "we've been doing this for like eight hours?"

"Time flies when you're blowing out zombie brains!" Beardo said, referencing one of the lines from the old video game. He even changed his voice to match the character, and the three shared a quick laugh. "Anyways, I'm gonna see if theres any leftovers in the Mess Hall," he pat his rather large belly, "snacks ain't quite gonna cut it, if you know what I mean."

"Sounds good, man," Duncan said, turning to the TV and beginning to turn off all the equipment. "Nice job clutching up."

Beardo beamed at the delinquents back. "Y'all need help cleaning up?"

"Nah, go for it," Gwen told him, waving a hand dismissively, "consider it your prize for winning."

Beardo shot her finger guns, "fair enough, I'll see ya guys later." He took his leave, whistling a tune as he went.

Behind her, Duncan moved back to the coffee table and began to grab the trash off it. The goth walked over and joined him, scooping up an armful of beer bottles.

"I'll tell you what, that dude can really pack away the beers," Duncan observed, chuckling as Gwen struggled to keep the beer bottles balanced in her arms.

"Yeah, well, you're one to talk," Gwen shot back, "how many did you have?"

"Takes a lot more than 5 beers to get me going, Pasty," Duncan told her mockingly.

"My name is _Gwen_," she told him pointedly.

Duncan rolled his eyes, "whatever you say, Pasty."

Gwen bit back a smirk and dumped the bottles into the recycling with a loud _clang_. Duncan joined her and tossed the empty chip bags and cookie containers into the garbage. "Y'know," he continued, "you were looking pretty nervous about that stupid question earlier today."

Gwen quickly walked back to the coffee table, a little embarrassed. She bent down and began to neatly wrap up the cords of the controllers. "Which one?" She asked with a feeble attempt at ignorance.

"You know which one," Duncan told her, "you looked as unsure as I was about the answer." He spoke plainly, without anger or sadness, and that made Gwen feel a little less awkward. His face broke into his signature wolfish grin, "don't tell me I've got two ex-girlfriends that hate my guts now."

This time, Gwen failed to hold back her laugh and she shook her head, straightening up and turning to look at Duncan with her hands on her hips. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" She told him, no real venom in her voice.

"So I've been told," Duncan nodded sagely. The punk grabbed the last of the garbage and crossed the Rec Center to deposit it. "You're dodging the point," he accused, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

Gwen's face softened ever-so-slightly as she stared at the punk's turned back. She mulled her words over, opting to choose them carefully, "I guess I don't hate you," she finally said, "I just hate our past."

"Our past?" Duncan repeated, turning around, "c'mon, we had some good times."

"Of course we did, but that doesn't change anything," Gwen told him pointedly, "I regret everything about it."

"Oh," Duncan blinked, genuine surprise on his face that quickly gave way to poorly-masked hurt, "oh…"

"Let me be clear," Gwen added quickly, instantly feeling a little guilty, "I don't regret _you_, if that makes sense. Just everything about how we got together, and how it ended. I mean c'mon, you can't admit it was exactly fun."

Duncan looked a little comforted by her clarification, but still seemed pretty shocked. "No, it wasn't fun," Duncan agreed, his tone a little sad, "in fact, it was hell. But…back then, you made it worth it."

Gwen flushed a little, but Duncan didn't comment. "For a time, I thought so too," she told him, also sad, "then I grew up."

Duncan made a _tsk_ sound, shaking his head and letting out a long sigh. After a few moments of silence between the two, the delinquent shrugged. "Well, it's all in the past now, I guess. What's done is done."

"Yeah," Gwen held her arm at the crook of her elbow, an old nervous habit, "this…got awkward."

The tension snapped, and Duncan smirked. "Yes. Yes it did. Well forget that crap, let's finish cleaning up and get to bed."

Gwen shot him a relieved little smile, "sounds good."

The two finished tidying up and observed their handiwork. The table had been cleaned off, the video games put away nicely, and the couch rearranged. The dim light reflected off the pool table and a nice breeze rolled in from an open window. It really was a cozy place.

"Good enough," Duncan said, covering his mouth as he let out a loud yawn. "Anyways…see you tomorrow, Gwen."

Gwen nodded, "see you…"

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"All in all, I'd say that was a good talk," Gwen sighed, her knees brought close to her chest as she idly fiddled with the ends of her messy ponytail. "We just have so much past baggage with each other, I don't think we can ever go back to being friends like we were before all of this…and honestly? That bums me out. I just hope he knows it too."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

The next morning was sunny and warm. Birds chirped merrily and there was nary a cloud in the sky. The overall feel of the camp was tense, however. Rodney's elimination the night previous had Team Alpha in shambles. Zoey thought that Lightning was going home, and Lightning was sure Zoey would be sent packing. Zoey had counted on Izzy and Lightning had counted on Noah, and now the team was in utter turmoil.

Team Oddball, despite losing two members right off the bat, was easily the most amicable and comfortable team in the competition. There was no drama between the team members despite Owen's situation with Izzy, and even though Bridgette knew that she would be a goner once they eventually lose, she was starting to believe they could keep up their win streak all the way to the merge.

Team Nuclear was a mixed bag. Everyone on the team was very confident in their place in the game, as both duos of Beardo and Jo and Gwen and Sammy thought they had Duncan on their side, giving them a 3-2 advantage over the other. Unfortunately for Beardo and Jo, they were unaware of the deal Gwen had made with Duncan to ally unconditionally with him until the merge. Likewise, Gwen and Sammy were in the dark about Duncan's alliance with Jo.

Regardless of the situations of each team, all thirteen campers found themselves in the Mess Hall eating breakfast as Chris arrived, an especially troublesome grin etched across his handsomely weathered face.

"I've seen that smile before," Jo griped, the first to noice the host's entrance, "it means today is gonna _suck." _

"Oh, Josephine," Chris said playfully, "in the words of the great Chris McLean, I kindly ask you to 'shut your dumb face', okay?"

"Maybe you should shut _your_ dumb face," Jo shot back smugly, pleased with her lightning-speed wit.

"My face is not dumb at all, unlike yours," Chris said calmly, his arms crossed.

"Looked in a mirror lately?"

"Jokes on you, it's a window!"

Jo was about to open her mouth, but Beardo nudged her and shook his head, "it ain't worth it," he whispered.

Pleased at getting the last word, Chris cleared his throat and adopted a more hostly vibe, putting his arms behind his back. "Now, today's challenge is gonna rock _all_ of your worlds, because there's one _very_ special difference than any other challenge we've _ever_ had on Total Drama!"

This piqued the interest of the campers. Anticipation filled the air as they waited for the host to finally announce it, but you could bet your butt that Chris was dragging it out as long as possible. He actually pulled out his smart phone and started scrolling, much to the immediate ire of the campers.

"Stop being a dick!" Shawn exclaimed.

"What is it?" Izzy said excitedly, "I wanna know, I wanna know!"

Chris sent a quick tweet and pocketed the phone. "Today, _every_ team will be voting someone off!" His words had an immediate, much desired effect. The campers erupted into chaos, screaming and shouting and hollering. A few were panicking, like Bridgette. Others were angry, like Jo. Some, like Izzy, flicked morsels of breakfast at Duncan from across the Hall.

"You're seriously cutting three people in an already small cast?" Noah questioned. The scrawny boy had his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed, the very picture of incredulity. "That seems…excessive."

"What can I say," Chris shrugged, "we've got some ways to make up for the numbers later down the line."

"So what's the point of even having the challenge, then?" Jasmine asked, shooting a concerned look at a devastated Bridgette. "If we're all losing anyways?"

"There are a special set of rules for this challenge and a special reward." Chris explained, "think of it almost like a merge challenge, as you'll all be competing _individually_ within your teams! Exactly one member from each team will win immunity, at the cost of their vote!"

"Another one of these?" Jo smacked her forehead, "why do we have to cancel the votes of the winners?"

"It's actually a good idea," Gwen admitted, not looking too pleased about consequentially praising the host. "It adds another layer of strategy."

"Correctamundo," Chris confirmed, grinning like a madman, "is it worth it for your buddy Bobby to win immunity if it means you don't have the numbers to eliminate Suzy? But if Bobby doesn't win, then Suzy might and you're _really_ screwed!" He rubbed his hands together, "this challenge is gonna be awe-haw-some!"

Team Oddball especially were a little shaken by this new announcement. Shawn and Jasmine were starting to look a little worried for the first time, and Bridgette was torn between hope and despair.

"So what's the challenge gonna be?" Lightning asked, "Lightning has immunity he needs to win. Sha-Victory!"

"If you'll all follow me, I'll show you," Chris announced. "Let's get moving, people."

Breakfast forgotten, the campers quickly left their tables and hurried after the host, the bombshell of information leaving many rattled to their core.

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.) **

"This is trouble," Shawn grumbled, "if Bridgette wins, that means Jazz and I have to cut Owen, which would totally _suck_. If either her or I win, we have to rely on Owen not betraying us and siding with Bridgette!" He sighed and removed his beanie, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair, "Ideally, I guess Owen wins," he theorized, "so Jasmine and I control majority votes…worst case is _I _win, because Owen's more likely to turn on Jasmine than me." He shook his head, "this is gonna be a stressful challenge, I can already tell."

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)**

Bridgette inhaled deeply, very nervous. "Well, I think I might actually have a chance here. Ideally, I can just win the challenge, though I know that'll be super tough against Shawn and Jasmine," she shook her head, "but if either of them win, I can try and get Owen to side with me, right?" She lost a bit of her nerve, "I mean, I know that's kind of mean…but I want to stay!"

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah groaned. "This game just keeps hoofing me in the _nads_."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

Chris led the campers into the woods, were a large clearing had been marked out. The campers were greeted with various colored squares built into the ground, winding in a serpentine trail through the clearing.

Shawn walked up to one and tapped it with his foot. It made a hollow ringing sound, confirming it was made of metal.

"Is this…a game board?" Sammy guessed.

"You are correct, Sammy!" Chris told her, "you are all competing in an epic board game!"

"I hate board games," Duncan said flatly, "they always have so many rules."

"Yes, and this is no different," Chris agreed, "listen carefully, because I'm only gonna say the rules one time. Understand?

Rule 1: The board is thirty spaces long. The first member of each team to reach the finish line wins immunity.

Rule 2: When it is your turn, you will role a six-sided die. You move forward that amount each turn. You CAN use your roll to further someone else's turn, but you will not move forwards.

Rule 3: Everyone has ten 'coins' and each square has a mini-challenge to complete or an event to endure. You can also refuse a challenge at the cost of some coins. You can also buy advantages for yourself or disadvantages for others at the cost of coins.

Rule 4: If you run out of coins, you are out of the challenge and cannot win.

Rule 5: Beware of insta-death spaces! These will immediately eliminate you from the challenge and are located every eighth space, so spaces 8, 16 and 24.

Rule 6: Ganging up on other contestants is both encouraged and applauded!" The host scratched his chin, "I think that about sums it up."

"What happens is everyone from one team gets eliminated from the challenge?" Zoey asked.

"Last person standing on a team wins, even if they're not at the finish line," Chris clarified, "any other questions?"

"Yeah, what happens every turn? Can we get some more specifics?" Jasmine asked, "what are these so called mini-challenges?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Chris scolded, "now, if there are no further questions, everyone line up on Space 0!"

Chef came on screen, holding three large die in his hand. One was gold, one was purple, and one was deep orange. He tossed one each to Beardo, Izzy and Bridgette.

"You go alphabetically by team. Let the challenge begin!"

Bridgette, Beardo and Izzy threw their dice onto the ground. A four showed up for Bridgette, a six for Beardo, and a two for Izzy. They moved to their correct spaces, waiting to see what would happen next.

A cutout of a crusty innkeeper sprung out of the ground, making Izzy clap with excitement. "Greetings, weary traveler! You seem tired, spend a night in the inn and rest up! You get +2 added to your next roll because you're so refreshed!"

"Ooh, fun!" Izzy clapped.

Bridgette walked to the her square, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she turned to the host, confused.

In response to her confused look, Chris just shrugged. "Some squares are just normal squares with no effects," he told her. "No positive or negative gain."

"Full six for ya boy," Beardo hummed as he went to spot six. Suddenly, a classic robber popped out of the ground. "I'll be taking two coins from you! Haha, thanks, sucker!" Beardo sighed as the robber disappeared back into the ground.

Duncan, Lightning and Jasmine were up next. After a quick roll of the die, it was revealed that Duncan got 5, Lightning got 1, and Jasmine got a 6. The Aussie joined Beardo on square 6 and lost two coins, while a grumpy Lightning took one step forward.

"Lightning threw that die WAY too hard for it to land on a one," he grumbled. Suddenly, a shady looking man appeared from the square, chuckling behind his hand. "Say, that's a tough start, traveler! What say you go 7 spaces forward for a mere 1 coin?"

"What a steal!" Lightning boasted, "Lightning accepts!"

"Lightning, no!" Noah yelled, but it was too late. The square launched upwards like a springboard, propelling a screaming Lightning all the way onto Space 8. The jock groaned and rubbed his head, but was unable to even pick himself up before a formidable black knight rose from the square. He glared down at the boy with evil red eyes, and thundered out his sentence of judgment.

"You have trespassed onto my turf. You will not survive." With his bit said, the entire square dropped, sending Lightning plummeting out of sight. The square closed back up, leaving everyone else in shock.

"Is he okay?" Noah asked quickly.

"He's fine, there's padding down there…I think," Chris told Noah, "unfortunately for Lightning, he hits the insta-death square and is out of the challenge."

"That idiot," Noah groaned, "he couldn't see the obvious trap!"

"Thank goodness," Zoey told Noah hotly, "that's one less person in the way of _my_ immunity."

Noah glared at her, but didn't respond.

Duncan went to square 5, but it turned out to be just like Bridgette's. No effect for the punk meant he was trailing his opponent Beardo by a mere one square.

Owen, Gwen, and Noah were up next. Owen rolled a 5 and Noah rolled a 4, while Gwen got a 1 as well. Owen and Noah had no effects, but the shady man once again appeared as Gwen stepped onto the first square. The goth declined the offer of moving 7 spaces forward, and the man praised her for her smarts, giving her one extra coin.

Shawn, Jo and Zoey were the last to round at the first turn. Shawn hurled his die to the ground and got a respectable 5.

"I'm giving my 5 to Owen," Shawn announced, taking some of the others, Chris included, by surprise.

"Aw, thanks buddy!" Owen called back to him. The big oaf walked forward five steps, ready to see what the square was. He stopped at space 10.

Instantly, a cutout of a poor man popped out, holding a hat out pleadingly. "Please sir," the cutout exclaimed, "I'm so hungry! Will you spare a coin to help a man in need?"

"Aw, being hungry is the worst! You got it, dude!" Owen told the cutout exuberantly.

"Dearly appreciated, my good man. It's not much, but take this in thanks." The cutout whirred and a piece of paper suddenly appeared from its mouth. Owen cautiously grabbed it, "Gamble card. Use on yourself or someone else. Contains a random positive or negative effect…AWESOME!" He pocketed the card, "thanks again, Shawn!"

"You got it, Owen!" Shawn called to him. At Jasmine's curious look, he just gave her a wink. Bridgette saw this and gasped.

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.) **

"Shawn, that little sneak!" Bridgette exclaimed, looking like she was torn between being angry and impressed. "He wants Owen to win! That way, he can't vote and it'll just be me, him, and Jasmine and I'm gone for sure!" She punches her palm with a fist, "it's _on_ now!"

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

Jo looked down at the 2 she had rolled. "I guess it's better than nothing," she grumbled, going to the second square and receiving the +2 speed for her next roll.

Zoey, on the other hand, got a 5 and thus had no effect.

"Alright, now that Teams Oddball and Alpha have gone through one cycle, it's Bridgette and Izzy's turns! Sammy, you're up as the last member of Team Nuclear," Chris announced, "keep it moving, people!"

The three girls were tense as they tossed their die. Izzy rolled a three, which meant five spaces forward as she had a +2 from her previous turn putting her at space 7. Sammy got a four, and went to the normal space. Bridgette got a 6, and joined Owen on space 10 where she gave the hungry man a coin in exchange for a Gamble ticket.

"I'm going to play this gamble ticket on myself," Bridgette announced immediately. Chef ran on screen, now dressed in a wizards costume to make Leonard jealous, and grabbed the ticket out of the girls hand. He pulled out a small electronic device and scanned the ticket. He showed the screen to Bridgette as the device randomly cycled through dozens of options, before finally landing on the option "Go forward spaces at the price of 1 coin per 1 space." The surfer read aloud. After giving it a quick ponder, she decided against using the effects. Coins seems too valuable to just throw away willy-nilly.

Izzy walked up to space 7 and a normal knight appeared. "Avast," it said in a bizarre pirate accent, "cross sabers with me or walk the plank!"

"Aren't you a little metal-y to be a knight?" Izzy said cheerfully, getting into a classic fighting stance.

A log and ax rose out of the square. "Cleave the log in one fell swoop and I'll let ye pass. Fail, and I'll be takin' some of ye doubloons!"

Izzy grabbed the ax and unceremoniously sliced the log in half. The ginger didn't even break a sweat and tossed the ax behind her, making Duncan scream and run away since he was only two spaces behind her.

"Back to your square, Duncan," Chris sighed, "and Izzy, don't hurl weapons around like that."

"Ye seem to have muscles," the knight conceded, "no plank-walking for you, arghh! You may pass!"

Izzy turned to the host and beamed, "This challenge is the best!"

"You're welcome," Chris said arrogantly, blowing on his fingernails. "Next campers go."

Since Lightning was out, Noah was up next for Team Alpha. He along with Jasmine and Beardo threw their dice onto the ground, waiting to see what results waited for them. Noah was relieved to see a 5, just missing the insta-death and landing himself on space 9.

Noah approached the space. An angry farmer appeared, "this is my land!" He bellowed, "back to where you came from, stranger! Go back to the space you originated from this turn!"

"Well that's just _great_," Noah snarked, returning to space 5.

Jasmine rolled _another_ 6, netting her space 12. The giant woman approached with confidence, ready to see what her space would be.

An evil witch popped out, cackling evilly. "Give a curse, take a curse, dearie!" she shrieked. "Give yourself and another person one negative effect!"

"No thanks, I'll pass," Jasmine said politely.

"I wasn't asking! Now choose a person, or I'll choose for you!" The witch warned.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Fine then. I guess I pick Bridgette." She looked over apologetically at Bridgette. "Sorry hon, nothin' personal."

Bridgette slumped a bit, but kept up her good sportsmanship. "I understand…"

"Both of you experience a freezing cold that stiffens your joints! Your next roll is reduced by 3!" The witch cackled, "take care, dearie!"

Beardo had rolled himself a five and walked up to space 11. A beautiful fairy rose from the square with a gentle smile. "Hello traveler. Would you like my spell? There is a 50% chance to transport you to space 16, and a 50% chance to transport you to space 18."

"Careful, Beardo!" Jo warned, "space 16 means your out."

"I know!" Beardo called back with a thumbs up. "I got this!" He turned back to the fairy and bowed. "I will take the spell!"

Everyone watched with baited breath as each of the fairy's hands began to glow. Eventually, her right hand faded, and the left one lit up with the number 18.

"Luck is in your favor, adventurer. Proceed to space 18."

Beardo sang out a victory tune and marched ahead to space 18, putting him far ahead of the rest of the pack.

Duncan, Owen and Zoey were next. Duncan rolled himself a six, putting him at the same spot as Beardo.

"I'll take the spell too," Duncan said confidently to the fairy. Her hands glowed again, but this time it was the right hand portraying the number 16 that remained. Duncan cursed as he walked to Space 16. The same evil knight appeared and dropped Duncan to his doom. Duncan screamed as he fell, and the square closed back up.

"Another player down for the count," Chris chuckled.

Owen rolled a 3 and went to space 13. It was a normal space, and had no effect. Zoey got a 2 and faced the same challenge as her teammate Izzy. Just like her teammate, she cleared the challenge from the weird pirate-knight no problem.

Shawn, Izzy and Gwen were the next set. Shawn rolled a 3 which he opted to take himself, as adding 3 to Owen's current 13 would result in him being eliminated from the challenge on space 16.

A zombie appeared from space 3, making Shawn scream and reflexively karate kick it's head off. "Ahhh! Die, zombie!"

"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed as the head sparked and smoked, "Shawn! What are you doing, man?!"

Shawn held a hand over his heart as his blood pressure began to dip back to normal, "sorry," he panted, "that just scared the crap out of me!"

"That looks like a five coin penalty to me for personal damages," Chris warned, "one more strike like that, and you're DQ'd from the challenge!"

Shawn looked a little sheepish, "whoops, heh heh…"

Izzy rolled a 6, and joined Owen on space 13.

"Hey Owen!" Izzy said happily, grabbing his arm in excitement, "isn't this challenge _super_ fun?"

"The funnest!" Owen agreed, cheeks reddening a little.

Gwen rolled another 1, much to her annoyance, and she moved to space 2. "At least I get that speed boost next turn," she grumbled.

Bridgette rolled her die along with Noah and Jo. The surfer was able to get a 4, but only moved 1 space thanks to the slowing effect she received from Jasmine earlier. Now on space 11, she was faced with the fairy. "Do I have to take the chance?" She asked, not really wanting to risk her game on a 50% gamble.

"No," the fairy replied.

"Okay, I choose not to use it, then," Bridgette told her, and the fairy shrunk back into the square.

Noah looked at the 2 he rolled and grumpily walked forward two spaces, annoyed with his lack of progress. He lost two coins for his troubles on space 6. Jo, on the other hand, rolled a 6, which meant she went 8 spaces forward and landed on space 10. She paid the coin and, like Bridgette before her, used the card immediately.

Chef the wizard ran over and scanned her ticket. "Pick one player on your team to eliminate from the challenge," the ticket read aloud. Jo whistled in appreciation as the rest of the team gasped. "Heheh, sorry _Sammy_," Jo said unapologetically, "but since you're farther ahead than Gwen, I'm kicking you out."

Sammy gasped as the space beneath her dropped out, sending her out of sight with a shrill scream. Beardo pumped his fist, glad at the loss of competition since she was so far ahead.

"And Jo opts to take Sammy out instead of Beardo, despite him being in the clear lead," Chris narrated, raising an eyebrow, "guess she's okay with her ally being off the block and unable to vote tonight!"

Jo, who had just moments prior been sporting a victorious grin, felt the grin slide off her face as she realized what happened. "Damn!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

"Ugh, this challenge is so stupid! It actually promotes hindering people!" Jo complained, shoulders hunched defensively. She gave the camera a knowing look, "don't get me wrong, I _love_ hindering the losers here, but Beardo's my ally! You _help _your allies, right? You don't send them screaming eliminated from the challenge!" She scowled, "at least that's how it's _supposed_ to work! Like I said, stupid challenge!"

The door burst open, and Chris stuck his head, making the jockette jump in surprise. "You're being unusually unbearable today, Jo," Chris frowned, "first you said I had a dumb face, and now you're calling my challenge stupid!" The host glared at the unimpressed, annoyed Jo in front of him and decided punishment was needed, "and for that, you get this." He held up a bottle of cologne, complete with his mugshot on the bottle.

"Ooh, you gonna make me smell like old man?" Jo mocked.

"No," Chris answered patiently, "I'm gonna do this!" and he sprayed it directly into her eyes.

"Aggh! Son of a _bitch_!" Jo screamed as Chris quickly took his leave, slamming the door behind him. She tried to get up and run after him, but she didn't see that the door was closed and face-planted into the wooden planks. Off balance and out of control, she ricocheted off the door into the camera, and the screen burst into static.

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

"Jasmine, Zoey, Beardo. Let's keep it moving!" Chris announced.

Beardo sang another victory tune as he whirled the dice up into the air. It clattered to the ground to reveal a 5, and the beatboxer jogged to space 23. A busty barmaid appeared, a sultry look in her eyes, and Beardo blushed despite her 2-D nature.

"Greetings, fellow traveler," the barmaid purred, "care to take a look at my _wares_? Only 3 coins!"

The poor, oblivious Beardo took a second to ponder before finally nodding his head. "Sure thing, why not! Maybe I'll get a super cool power up!"

Gwen face-palmed, "Uh, I don't think she means _those_ kinds of wares, Beardo!"

Beardo just look confused as a ticket whirred out of the barmaids mouth. He took it and read it, and his ears instantly turned bright red.

"What's it say?" Izzy giggled.

"You…you get an STD from the barmaid," Beardo stammered, looking entirely humiliated, "you have three turns until you succumb to it and die. Oh my _God…_"

Chris erupted into hysterical laughter. "Oh ho, I _knew_ adding in that barmaid was a goldmine," he told Chef, who also looked highly amused, "hahah! That's _incredible_!"

"Isn't this a kids show?" Beardo defended himself, shifting his weight from foot to foot or something, "I thought I'd get like a magic potion or something!"

"Oh ho, you got a magic potion alright," Shawn chuckled.

"That is so gross," Zoey gagged, looking as uncomfortable as Beardo.

"I don't get it," Owen admitted.

"Good," Noah said sternly, "No need to corrupt your mind."

Jasmine threw her dice down, "swiftly moving on, then," She said, seeing the third 6 in a row she got she got. A little nervous, she jogged over to the fifteenth space due to her slowing effect, and was relieved to see it was a no effect space.

Zoey rolled herself a 5 and made it to space 12. The wicked witch appeared and asked who she would give a negative effect to. "I choose Noah," she said quickly. The effect was that each player lost 3 coins. This made Noah a little nervous, as he had already lost half his coins and was only on space 6.

"Yay, my turn!" Izzy said happily, grabbing a die and rolling. "Ooh, a six! Yay!" She cheered.

"Not so fast, Izzy!" Chris interrupted, "this role must take you backwards!"

"What?!" Izzy yelped, "why?!"

"Don't you remember when you took the PCP yesterday?" Chris questioned her, "it came at a major hinderance in the next challenge! I deem this a major enough hinderance to count!"

"Why did you not mention that at the beginning?" Noah asked him, frustrated since Izzy winning was good for him.

"Yeah, I bet you forgot," Izzy said with a wink at the camera, "talk about lazy writing."

"Don't question me," Chris snapped, "get moving, toots!"

Izzy blew a raspberry at him and walked all the way back to Space 7. She chopped the wood easily and resumed her pout after she was done.

Owen let out a loud woohoo as he saw the 4 he rolled. He ran happily to space 17, and was promptly greeted by another robber, this time dressed in nights armor. "Knave!" The robber-knight screamed, "give me half your coins, or prepare to die!"

Owen's face darkened, and he took up a surprisingly good Brazilian ju-jitsu stance. "Bring it!" He roared, "I might not have a sword, but I have my fists of fury!"

"Owen," Chris said tiredly, "you can't fight the two-dimensional man. You just have to pay!"

Owen lost a bit of his verve, "wait, seriously?" He called, looking over his shoulder at the host. His tense body still held its ju-jitsu pose, ready to strike at a moments notice.

"Yes, seriously," Chris told him.

"Like…_seriously, _seriously?" The tubby boy asked for clarification.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Yes!"

"What if I do this?" Owen asked him, raising a fist and taking a step in the direction of the knight-robber.

"Don't you do it," Chris ordered.

Owen took another step.

"Owen, I _mean_ it!"

Another step. Owen was now within striking distance of the knight, and began to _slowly_ reach his fist towards the cutout.

"Don't make me come over there, young man," Chris warned.

Owen gently rapped his knuckles against the cutout, giggling mischievously as he did so. Most of the others looked on in anticipation, wondering what would come of this rebellious act.

"Fine, you've forced my hand," Chris sighed, "I didn't want to have to do this…but Owen, you are not allowed seconds at dinner tonight!"

The effect was immediate and exactly what Chris had desired. The boy blanched and dropped to his knees, letting out a bloodcurdling scream. "No! No don't _do_ it, Chris! I was just messing around!" He forced out a nervous chuckle, "C'mon, it was _funny_, right? No need to be hasty or anything!"

"My verdict is final," Chris told him solemnly, and the boy erupted into a fresh wave sobs. "Gwen, please continue with your turn."

Gwen nodded and tossed her die. She rolled a 5, and with her added +2 she made it all the way to space 9. Unfortunately, she was greeted by the angry farmer, and forced to go back to space 2.

"Isn't this game just a blast?" Noah asked Gwen dryly as she walked back past Noah again, downtrodden.

"It could be fun," Gwen said darkly, "if my luck wasn't so bad."

"Welcome to my life."

The next round of contestants were up. Shawn rolled his die and got a 4. "I'm giving it to Owen again," he announced, and Owen happily walked to space 20. Bridgette gulped as the fat boy got ever closer to the finish line. Luckily, it was a space of no effect, and the boy remained where he was.

"Yay, let's get it," Noah drawled, tossing his die. It rolled on a two, and Noah let out a frustrated yell. "Do I have to get dropped, or can I just go back to the trailer and relax?"

Chris smirked, "do you really need me to answer that question?"

"Don would've let me go back to the trailer," Noah said in a sulky voice as he walked to space 8, receiving his insta-death punishment. He didn't even give Chris the satisfaction of yelling as he was dropped out of the challenge.

The host was annoyed by Noah's comment but whirled his hands in a 'keep it going' motion.

Jo drop kicked her dice across the board and grinned at the 5 she got. "Now _that's_ more like it!" She boasted, walking up to space 15. With no effect on her space, she was safe until the next round.

"Looks like its just you and me, Izzy," Zoey gulped as she brought her die forwards.

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.) **

"I _have_ to win," Zoey said determinedly, "because I bet my butt that Noah and Lightning will want to kick me off. Since whoever wins can't vote, if Izzy wins we can't force a tie!" She sighs, "this sucks! I have to hope that if I win, Izzy can convince Lightning to vote off Noah…otherwise I'll really be screwed if it's just me, Noah and Lightning."

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

The die landed on 6, making Zoey sigh happily as she jogged toward space 18. It was a normal space, so she could vibe out.

Bridgette chucked her die forward and got a 4, bringing her to join Jasmine and Jo on the normal space of 15. "Ladies," she greeted them with a smile.

Beardo was up next for Team Nuclear, and he chucked the die forward with a mighty heave. It rolled onto a 4 and Beardo gave a cry of victory as he passed over the final insta-death space and ended up on Space 27. A jolly king popped up and laughed loudly as a regal tune played. "My boy, you have just evaded death," he pointed out, "for that, you get a reward! Choose yourself and a teammate to get a positive boon!"

"Uh, I guess I choose Jo," Beardo shrugged.

"Very well, you and the chosen person both move forward…." He paused, and a ticket popped out of his mouth. "That many spaces!"

Beardo hesitantly took the ticket, and his eyes widened. He let out a trumpet of victory as the camera zoomed in on the number. As plains as day, the number "5" was printed on the ticket, and the boy leapt across the finish line excitedly.

"And Beardo secures the first immunity with utter ease!" Chris announced, "didn't see that one coming!" He turned to Gwen and Jo, "and despite you two managing to stay alive until the end…there's no need for you anymore! So…see ya! Bridgette and Jasmine, you two might wanna move for a sec."

Bridgette and Jasmine scrambled out of the way as the floor of Space 15 and Space 2 opened up, sending both Gwen and Jo screaming out of sight.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

Jo sighed, "Guess I'll have to crush someone in a tiebreaker."

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

Jasmine was up next, and rolled her die gently. It landed on a 5 and, once again, made her way to a normal space 20.

Izzy and Owen rolled their die and each got a 5. Izzy went to space 12 and Owen went to space 22. Owen was ordered back 2 spaces and ended up on space 20. Izzy got a bad effect for her and a person of her choice. Since Zoey was the only other teammate still in the game, she had to go with her.

"You each move back four spaces!" The witch decreed, making Izzy and Zoey gasp. Zoey backtracked to space 14, and Izzy backtracked to the dreaded space 8.

"You'll never get me alive!" Izzy bellowed, tackling the evil knight as he emerged. The cutoff snapped and the space opened up, sending both Izzy and the cutout into the pit below.

"And by process of elimination…_literally_…Zoey wins immunity on Team Alpha!"

Zoey let out a relieved sigh and pumped her fist in glee. "Yay!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.) **

Zoey punches the air with a couple of deadly-looking blows! "Take that, Alpha-jerks!" She whoops, her tone hard. "You aren't getting rid of me _that_ easily!"

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

"And we're down to just Team Oddball," Chris narrated, "all four members are still in the game. Shawn has been helping Owen and thus only resides on Space 3. Bridgette is a little further ahead at space 15, and Owen and Jasmine are tied up front on space 20. Which of them will secure immunity? Shawn, you're up."

Shawn nodded and rolled a 4. Since that would put both Jasmine and Owen in the insta-death spot, he chose to take it himself and moved to space 7. He chopped the wood effortlessly as Bridgette grabbed her die.

"C'mon…give me a big roll!" Bridgette pleaded with the sky as she threw her die. The number gods seemed to smile on her, and she rolled a six. Bridgette clapped excitedly and ran to space 21. An intimidating sentry guard appeared, holding out his hand in a forceful manner.

"Stop! There is a toll here," he thundered, "3 coins, or it's back to where you came!"

"I'll pay it," Bridgette said quickly, knowing she had coin to spare. Besides, she didn't want to risk going back 6 whole spaces when Owen and Jasmine were both so close to the end.

Jasmine was up next and tossed a 3. At space 23, she was propositioned by the barmaid and turned her down politely. The barmaid didn't like this, and ordered her back one space. Jasmine stepped back onto space 22, and then had to go all the way back to space 20 because of the effect of space 22, which was to send the person back 2 spaces.

"Well that was a load of nonsense," Jasmine grumbled. "Back to where I started."

"My turn, my turn!" Owen rolled a 3 and also went to space 23. Notably, a different cutout appeared. It was still a barmaid, but she was much more innocent looking than the previous one.

"Sir, would you like a meal and board? Only 3 coins, it is," she said in a timid voice.

"Aw, sure thing!" Owen said happily.

"Owen! Didn't you learn anything form Beardo?" Shawn yelled to him, all the way back at space 7. Due to the distance, he was unable to see that the barmaid was different.

"It's all good, dude!" Owen hollered back, "she's different! It's like her sister or something!"

Suddenly the barmaids eyes went red, "Fool! I killed the original barmaid because I'm a robber! I'll take your three coin, and demand you give me two more!"

Owen sighed, "aw, man! I thought you were gonna give me something good! Fine, you can have it!"

"What's this?" The barmaid/robber said angrily, "you're out of coins?! Well that's just great!"

Owen blinked. "I am? He quickly did some math on his fingers as he muttered to himself, "one coin for the dude, five to the robber, three here plus three," he squealed out a gasp, "Great Siberian tigers! I'm outta cash!"

"Well you're no use to me at all! Perish, fool!" The robbermaid screamed. The tile opened up and Owen tired to fall, but his girth got him stuck instead.

"Oops, wow, that's awkward," Owen chuckled as he wriggled around, trying to get himself unstuck. "Whoops! Eh-heh, don't mind me, everyone! Just….hngrhhh," he tried to suck in his gut to no avail, "…trying…hngth….GAH!" He gave up, panting, and began to wiggle in panic. "Someone get me outta here!"

Chris looked at the situation, wholly unamused, and pulled out a remote. He pressed a button on it, and the robbermaid above Owen beeped. Owen stopped his struggling to look up at it curiously, and screamed when it bent at an unseen hinge and folded onto him with a loud bash. The force was enough to unwedge the boy and he was sent screaming out of the challenge.

"He's a hazard," Chris grumbled, pocketing the remote.

Shawn sighed in annoyance. He rolled another 4, but couldn't give it to Jasmine because she was still on space 20, which would've resulted in her elimination if she took the 4. Thus, he moved to space 11. The kind fairy offered him her deal, but he declined.

"Big rolls, big rolls!" Bridgette pleaded again, rolling the die. She got a 5 and and ran to space 26. It was a normal space, and Bridgette clapped her hands again. "I can do this!" She told herself excitedly.

Jasmine rolled the die and got a 5. On space 25, a jester rose up with a small bowl of peppers and a glass of milk on a tray. "Hee-hee!" The jester squealed, "eat these peppers without the milk and I'll let you pass! Attempt it and fail, and you go back one space to insta-death! Refuse entirely, and it's back to where you came!"

The big Aussie weighed her options. With Bridgette on Space 26, there was 50% chance she'd get a roll high enough to win her the game next turn. If she refused and went back, there was no chance she could catch her. If she succeeded, though, there was a chance Shawn would roll a 5 or 6 and steal the win. The answer was obvious. "I'll do it," she said confidently, snatching the peppers and stuffing them into her mouth in one go. "A little heat never bothered me," she boasted, beginning to chew. After a few seconds, she began to sweat a little bit, but otherwise looked fairly unbothered by the peppers. After another twenty seconds of chewing, she swallowed and belched. "Whoa, they are a bit spicy!"

"Well done! You may pass," the jester cheered, "good luck, hee-hee!"

"Alright Shawn," Shawn told himself as he grabbed the die. "5 or 6 and Jasmine wins…c'mon you can do this!" He rolled the large die in his hands, examining it closely. "Papa needs…" he threw the die with some side spin, "a new pair of Jasmine's!"

"You've got to work on your pickup lines, mate," Jasmine chuckled as she watched the die sail through the air. It landed and rolled a lot due to its side spin. When it finally stopped, everyone gasped at what was shown.

It was a 5.

"I give my roll to Jasmine!" Shawn said excitedly. Jasmine jogged past a devastated Bridgette and crossed the finish line, whooping in victory.

Bridgette sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands, on the verge of tears. "I was so close!" She said miserably.

Jasmine instantly stopped her gloating and walked over to Bridgette, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you did _amazing_!" She comforted, "it took Shawn _and_ I to beat ya. That's impressive, let me tell you."

Bridgette offered Jasmine a watery smile. "Well…thanks, I guess."

"Very touching, very touching," Chris yawned. He hit a button on his remote again, and space 0 opened up. A large platform was lifted out of the ground, showing the eliminated campers tangled in a mess of bodies. "Beardo, Zoey, and Jasmine win immunity! For everyone else, it's fair game! I'll see you _all_ at the elimination ceremony after dinner!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)**

Bridgette dabs at the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Stay strong, Bridgette," she told herself firmly, eyes glued to the ceiling to minimize chances of a tear-spill. "You just have to convince Owen to vote off Shawn, and you'll turn your position into a great one! That's all it takes!" She turned to finally look at the camera, but her hope only lasts a second before she sighs miserably. "Oh who am I kidding? I'm doomed!"

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.) **

Noah groaned. "So Zoey won immunity? Of course she did. Now I have to choose between Izzy and Lightning. Great. Just _great_."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

Everyone had eaten lunch and was chilling around the camp. The camera focused in on Bridgette as she searched around outside, looking for a certain someone. She finally found that someone when he walked out of the woods with Shawn, freshly done with an island-wide zombie check.

"So you really think zombies can get to the island?" Owen asked as the two walked towards the Mess Hall. "That seems pretty unlikely."

"You'd think," Shawn agreed, "but they're crafty like that. They love to lull you into a false sense of security and then "Bam!", hit your when you're most vulnerable," the scruffy boy crossed his arms and nodded in sagely fashion, "I mean, haven't you _seen_ Zombieland?"

Bridgette interrupted their conversation by jogging over to them. "Hey guys," she greeted, "mind if I borrow Owen for a second?"

Shawn gave her a weird look, but shrugged. "Sure thing, Bridgette. I'll be in the Mess Hall, man," he told Owen, who gave him a thumbs up.

Once Shawn was out of earshot, Bridgette and Owen walked towards the edge of the woods. "What's up, Bridgette?" Owen asked, "everything okay?"

Bridgette sighed, "Not really," she told him, "which is why I'm here. I need to ask you a favor."

Owen started to look a little nervous, "this is about the elimination, isn't it?"

Bridgette winced, "I'm afraid so," she said grimly, "is there any chance you would vote to keep me and boot Shawn?"

"Aw geez, I dunno," Owen said, tapping his fingers together, a nervous habit of his. "I dunno if I could do that to Shawn…"

"Think about it," Bridgette urged the tubby teddybear, "if I go, then you're _guarenteed_ to go home next time you lose! If Shawn leaves, then you and I can take Jasmine out!"

Owen paused, considering it, "well, that's true," he admitted, "but Shawn and I are buds! I can't just backstab him!"

"Aren't _we_ friends?" Bridgette protested, "I mean, I blew up Anne Maria's game because she targeted you!"

"Of _course _we are!" Owen slapped his forehead in disbelief, "but c'mon, Bridgette! It's different!"

"Just think about it," Bridgette pleaded, "it'll be amazing for both our games!"

Owen was silent for a moment, staring into Bridgette's big, blue puppy-dog orbs. Eventually, his feeble resolve broke and he groaned. "Aww, okay, fine! I'll think about it," he promised.

Bridgette let out a small smile, "thanks, Owen. I'll see you later. Oh, and by the way," she gave him a quick hug, "I know this is a tough situation for you. Whatever you decide, know we'll always be friends." She turned to leave, hands in her pockets.

Owen watched Bridgette go, a conflicted look on his face.

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen.)**

"Man, this sucks!" Owen said sadly, "Shawn and I are friends, but so are Bridgette and I!" He heaved a mighty sigh, "this would've been easier if Jasmine was available to be eliminated. I'd probably pick Bridgette over her!" He paused, then winced, "Uh…don't tell Shawn I said that," he giggled nervously and let out a fart.

**(End Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

"Good job winning today!" Izzy congratulated, smashing her fist into her partner's forearm.

Zoey parried Izzy's strike and aimed a powerful roundhouse kick at her head. Izzy ducked it expertly and got under Zoey's guard, sweeping her legs out from under her and sending the ROTI contestant to the dirt.

"You're distracted," Izzy noted, not giving Zoey pause and following up with a smash kick to Zoey's gut. Zoey parried the kick and did a hand spring, regaining her feet with surprising speed.

"Of course I'm distracted," Zoey panted, frustration evident in her tone as she threw a couple of haymakers that Izzy was forced to straight-up dodge, "these past few days have been horrible! Lightning and Noah are taking over! I feel so powerless!"

"Good," Izzy said cheerfully, dodging the remainder of Izzy's strike and smacking Zoey in the neck. "You must use that anger and frustration, young padawan! I know you're restraining yourself!"

"I don't like who I become when I let that part of me overcome my emotions!" Zoey protested, rubbing her neck gingerly as the two paused for a second, circling each other warily, "it's not me!"

"It _is_ you," Izzy disagreed, "and to deny it is pointless! You can use your power without letting it consume you."

"I don't have the strength to control it," Zoey snapped, "believe me, I wish I did!"

"Well let me tell ya something, toots," Izzy told her, moving in for another strike, "Lightning's gonna wipe the floor with you if you can't get it together and be okay with kicking some butt!"

Zoey's eye twitched, "Don't say that!" She told Izzy forcefully, "I can beat him as me! The good part of me!"

Izzy shoulder-rammed into the girl, knocking them both to the ground, "you can't," Izzy told her bluntly, "he's too strong with Noah. And when Izzy leaves tonight, it'll be two versus one."

Zoey squirmed underneath the girl, trying and failing to break free. "Don't say that, you can convince Lightning to vote out Noah!"

Izzy shook her head, looking sad for the naive girl, "Noah has him too tightly. There was a time where Noah would keep me over someone like Lightning, but he's grown bitter after so many losses, and is succumbing to cold tactics to win. You'll be alone, and you'll need to be strong." She got off the girl and helped her to her feet.

"It's not over until it's over," Zoey attempted to say with bravado, but her trembling lip was kind of ruining the effect.

Izzy smiled as she wrapped her friend in a surprisingly gentle hug. "It'll be okay, it's just a game," she said cheerfully.

As Zoey returned the hug, the already cracked dam suppressing her primal emotions got even weaker.

* * *

Beardo was sitting on his bunk, headphones on and humming to music. He was in a very good mood, as he had won the challenge and gotten himself immunity all on his own. It didn't matter that it was a primarily luck based challenge in his eyes, because a win was a win. Suddenly, he heard a couple of loud clomps above him, enough to be heard through his headphones, and he paused his music, seeing if they would happen again. After a couple more seconds, he heard it again. Confused, the chubby boy hopped down from his top bunk and walked out of the trailer, peering up at the roof. There, he was greeted by Duncan, who was lounging in the afternoon sun.

"Jeez, you scared me, Duncan," Beardo remarked. "Whatcha doing up there?"

"Just chilling," Duncan shrugged, "the metal's nice and warm," he raised a can of soda, "figured it'd be a nice spot to relax after the challenge."

"Aha, just the two nerds I wanted to see!" Came a new voice, and Duncan and Beardo turned to see Jo jogging towards them.

Duncan rolled his eyes, "what do you want?"

"Relax, Dun-kick-the-can," Jo told him bossily, "I'm just here to confirm on the voting plan. Since Beardo decided to go ahead and make himself useless in the vote tonight," she ignored Beardo's raised eyebrow, "we're going to have to do a tie breaker."

"Good point," Beardo agreed, choosing to ignore Jo's snarky comment about himself, "are you two gonna target Sammy or Gwen?" He looked at Duncan specifically, "I know the blood ain't great between you and Gwen, but it ain't bad either," he told him knowingly.

"I'd rather go for Sammy, since she'd be easier to beat in a tiebreaker than Gothball," Jo said baldly, "Duncan, you think Gwen's gonna want to go after you?"

Duncan thought about it for a moment, but ultimately shook his head no. "I don't think so, they'll probably come after you," he told her, "as much as it makes me sick to admit it, they probably view you more as a threat. If they get you out now, they don't have to worry about you in the merge."

"Heh, can't say I blame 'em," the jockette boasted, "but it doesn't matter to me, I'll crush 'em both."

"Let's go for Sammy, then," Duncan said with an uncaring shrug.

"Aw, protecting your girlfriend?" Jo mocked. At Duncan's death glare, she just laughed in his face and waved her hand dismissively, "relax, it's fine with me. Sammy it is." Her stomach let out a loud growl, "damn, I'm hungry. I'll catch you dorks later, I'm gonna grab some snacks."

"Snacks are good," Beardo said quickly, his own stomach rumbling as he walked over to Jo, "I'm down."

Jo nodded, unbothered by Beardo's company. The two walked off, and Duncan eyed the two suspiciously as they left.

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

"On one hand, voting Sammy off isn't that bad of an idea," Duncan admitted, "because it forces Gwen to stick closer to me." He paused after realizing how dodgy that sounded, and quickly shook his head. "Not like _that_," he amended quickly, "I mean like in the game. If she has no other allies, I won't have to worry about her backstabbing me. On the other hand…Jo's _really_ annoying."

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

The contestants were all quietly eating dinner when the megaphone in camp blared to life. "Alright campers, finish up your dinners! I need _everyone_ down to the elimination ceremony in five minutes!"

Lightning wolfed down the last of his food and stood up, clapping his hands together with a loud _smack_. "Sha-booyah! Let's get it over with already! Three more losers are about to leave!"

"You're awfully confident," Jo noted from Team Nuclear's table.

Lightning flexed his muscles, shooting Jo a cocky smirk, "you know nothin', Jo Snow!"

Jo gaped at him, "that…that was actually pretty good!" She admitted, "when did you get good at puns like that?"

Lightning kissed his bicep, "Lightning has a multitude of talents! Sha-yeah!"

Zoey shot him an angry glare as she finished her food. "If being a big-mouthed jerk is a talent, then yeah," she grumbled to herself. Noah, having overheard this fom the seat next to her, shot her a surprised look.

"What did you say?" Noah asked her.

Zoey slid her annoyed glare from Lighting to Noah. "I was talking to myself," she told Noah coldly.

"Uhh, okay then," Noah said, blinking back his curiosity, "I'll let you get back to sulking in peace."

One by one, the campers got up and headed down towards the elimination area. It was a cloudless night, and the stars twinkled merrily in the sky.

Chris stood in his usual spot, three separate trays balanced precariously on the oil barrel in front of him. The host was grinning mischievously as they approached, but that quickly changed when the dark smoke from the crackling fire changed direction, floating directly into his face.

"Ahh, justice," Gwen smirked as the host coughed and hacked. After a few more seconds the wind changed and shifted away from him, letting him recover.

"Now that that's done," Chris said quickly, coughing a couple more times to clear his throat, "let me explain to you guys how this is gonna work. We're gonna go team by team. Team Nuclear is up first, so sit your butts down."

"What about the rest of us?" Jasmine asked as the five members of Team Nuclear took their seats.

"Just sit there and be quiet," Chris ordered them. The other 8 campers shuffled to the side, letting the camera focus on the 5 members of Team Nuclear. The host picked up the orange tray with four marshmallows on it, glancing from camper to camper as the usual dramatic riff began to play. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," Chris told them. "Beardo, you won immunity so you get the first marshmallow. Congrats."

Beardo grinned happily as he caught his marshmallow. He gave it a quick kiss before gulping it down.

"Gwen, you're also safe tonight," Chris revealed, tossing the happy goth a marshmallow. "Also safe is…Duncan."

Duncan nodded as he caught his marshmallow, his face unreadable.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Jo sighed, cracking her knuckles, "what's the tiebreaker, Chris?"

"Ah-ah-ah," Chris tutted, "let me finish and make any potential tiebreaker official."

Jo rolled her eyes and then smirked at Sammy, who was looking a little nervous.

"The final marshmallow for Team Nuclear goes to…

…

…

…

…

Sammy."

Jo's eyes bugged as Sammy let out a relieved breath. Beardo let out a squeak of alarm.

"What?!" The jockette shouted, her mind racing as she tried to comprehend the event that had just happened. She took one look at her teammates and zeroed in on one of them.

"You little traitor!" She growled.

Duncan shrugged, "nothin' personal," he offered, "just doing what I had to do."

"Sit on it," Jo spat.

"Jo, you've been eliminated from Team Nuclear," Chris told her unnecessarily, "sit tight while we go through the other teams."

"I can't believe this," Jo said, sadness threatening to break into her angry tone. She shuffled over to the side with the rest of her ex-teammates, glaring a hole in the dirt.

"Team Alpha, you guys are up next." Chris told them. Noah, Zoey, Lightning and Izzy sat down. "Zoey, you're safe cause you won today, so here's your marshmallow."

An unhappy Zoey caught the marshmallow.

"Noah, you're safe too," Chris told the egghead. "Izzy, Lightning, this is the final marshmallow. It goes to…

...

...

...

...

...

...Lightning!"

"WHAT?!"

This time, the voice that spoke up came from someone not on the team. A shocked Owen was gaping at Team Alpha, confusion etched deeply on his face. He kept looking between Noah and Izzy, having trouble process what was happening.

Izzy turned to look at Noah, "I hope you made the right decision, my large-foreheaded friend," she told him seriously.

Noah had the decency to look away, his expression guilty. "It wasn't personal," he offered, though he know it sounded lame, "I…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You did what you thought was best," Izzy said, putting her hand on his shoulder, "like I said, I hope it was the right call."

"Izzy, wait!" Owen called desperately, beginning to walk towards the eliminated redhead.

"Everyone stop!" Chris commanded, "Owen, you're going to have to wait until after the final elimination ceremony to chit-chat. Team Alpha, please move off to the side and let Team Oddball sit."

Team Alpha complied. Zoey was glaring daggers at the duo of Noah and Lightning, the former of which was looking extremely guilty while the latter was wholly indifferent.

Team Oddball took their seats. Bridgette was looking extremely nervous and even Shawn and Jasmine had an air of trepidation around them. Owen was still in shock from Team Alpha's elimination, and Chris was eyeing the Oddballs like a shark about to eat its next meal.

"Alright, time for the final elimination of the night," Chris said excitedly, "Jasmine, since you won, you are safe."

Jasmine nodded and caught her marshmallow.

The dramatic music began to swell as Chris eyed Bridgette, Owen and Shawn. "The next marshmallow goes to…Owen."

Owen sadly caught his marshmallow, looking nervously over at Team Alpha. He tried to make eye contact with Izzy, but Izzy was busily staring into the fire.

"Bridgette, Shawn, this is the final marshmallow of the night," Chris told them. The dramatic music was now truly ramping up, as Bridgette and Shawn eyed each other. For the first time that season, Shawn gulped as he zeroed in on the tray. He trusted his buddy Owen, but he also knew that the previous winner had a strong friendship with Bridgette.

Bridgette was a little more pessimistic about her chances than her partner in the bottom two. A feeling her gut told her Shawn was safe, yet she still dared hope.

"It goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

...

…

…

…

…

...

…

…

…

…

...

…

…

…

…

...

…

…

…

Shawn!"

Bridgette couldn't help the disappointed moan that escaped her lips as Shawn pumped his fist in glee. The scruffy boy caught the marshmallow and turned instantly to Bridgette, his eyes and voice sympathetic. "Sorry it had to go down like this," he offered her a handshake, "no hard feelings?"

Bridgette shook his hand, smiling sadly at her former team. "No hard feelings, guys. I understand…"

Owen finally returned his attention to his team. "Ahhh, I'm sorry Bridgette!" He burst into tears, "I didn't know what to do! I couldn't backstab Shawn, I just couldn't!"

"Oh, Owen, honey, it's okay!" Bridgette exclaimed, rushing to the boys side and giving him a big hug. "Sssh, don't worry!" She assured him as she rubbed his big back. "I don't blame you!"

Jasmine and Shawn exchanged a sad look as Bridgette continued to comfort a devastated Owen.

"Yes yes, very sad," Chris said happily, "but Izzy, Jo, Bridgette; it's time to say goodbye to your teammates!"

Zoey stood up, "bye, Izzy. I'll miss you."

"Kick their butts for me!" Izzy asked her, shooting her a signature Izzy grin.

"I will," Zoey promised.

Lightning snorted, "you ain't doing squat, Zoey," he told her harshly. "You're just lucky you got immunity today or you'd be going home!"

Zoey turned to Lightning, "butt out, Lightning!"

"And you!" Lightning turned to Izzy, "why are you talking to her like she's some kinda _good_ guy?"

"Uh, because I _am_ the good guy!" Zoey interjected before Izzy could answer.

Lightning let out a mirthless shriek of laughter. "Okay, so the girl that goes behind Lightning's back to get his girl kicked off is a good guy? That's sha-HYSTERICAL!"

Zoey gasped in horror, anger quickly engulfing her normally kind eyes as she took a couple steps towards Lightning. "_Excuse_ me? I did NOT orchestrate Sky going home!"

"Uh, yeah you did," Lightning said dismissively. "Don't lie to the Lightning."

"I did not!" Zoey retorted, true anger in her tone now. "I voted for her, sure, but it was Noah's plan!"

Noah rolled his eyes and nudged Lightning. "See? Told you she'd try to pin it on me."

Lightning nodded, "just like you said. Sha-unbelievable." He turned to glare at Zoey. "Y'know, after all Lightning has seen you do, he thought you'd at least have the _decency_ to admit it." Zoey opened her mouth to retort, red-hot, angry tears welling her eyes, but Lightning just steamrolled over her. "But it doesn't matter now. You're finished! Sha-done-zo! You're all alone, and you're _next_!" He finished his statement by getting up in Zoey's face.

Izzy stepped between the two, a terrifying expression on her face as she leered up at Lightning. "Watch it," she warned in a very un-like Izzy way.

Lightning glared right back, but was the first to break eye-contact and turn away. "Whatever. Defend your sha-scheming friend."

The rest of the campers had been watching this interaction in shocked silence, even the snottier ones like Duncan and Jo dared not interfere at the sparks being thrown in the ruins of Team Alpha.

That feeble, already damaged dam inside Zoey broke apart, and her anger began to flow through her veins like pure energy. She pushed Izzy aside and her hand darted out, snatching Lightning's chiseled chin and jerking his face to hers, startling him.

"I've had it with you," Commando Zoey snarled, and Lightning's eyes widened, recognizing the change. "You better watch your back, Lightning." She shoved the boys head away, and Lightning went reeling, just managing to keep his feet. Her piece said, she turned her back on her team, ignoring them.

"Wow," Sammy muttered to Gwen, "that was…intense."

Gwen gulped, eyes wide. "You can say that again."

"Alright, time's up," Chris said, "let's get it moving, people."

By the Oddballs, Owen sprung apart from Bridgette and wiped his eyes, "wait, Izzy! Before you go, I need to talk to you!"

Izzy looked at him, confused. "What's up, Big O?"

Owen walked up to her, awkward and fumbling. "I…uh, I heard a rumor, well, apparently it's _more_ than a rumor…that apparently…" he tapped his fingers together, "when we played Truth or Dare…"

Chris suddenly popped up between the two, startling them both. "_Hate_ to interrupt," he said, his tone purely disingenuous, "but I believe I said time is up."

"No!" Owen pleaded, "wait, I just-" he was cut off as Chris thrusted the two of them apart, making them both eat dirt.

"You three," he gestured to the eliminated girls, "your time on your teams are done…" he smirked and chuckled a bit, "and…heh heh…hahaha…HAHAHA!"

"Is this funny to you, Chris?" Jo snapped, her patience running thin. She began to stomp down towards the Dock of Shame. "I'm _outta_ here, I don't have to take this humiliation."

Chris began to collect himself, bringing his laughter down to just a chuckle, "ah, man, I love this job!" He called out to Jo, "hey! There's one more thing, so you might wanna get your butt back here!"

Jo stopped and stomped the Dock in frustration. "What _is_ it?!"

Chris's chucklefest threatened to return, "Heheh…well, while it's true that you three are now off your teams…you _aren't_ actually eliminated!"

Everyone gasped.

"Explain!" Jo demanded.

"You three girls won't be heading home tonight," Chris clarified, "instead…you'll each be _switching_ _teams!_"

After a quick moment of silence in which everyone digested this shocking information, Jo, Bridgette and Izzy erupted into cheers. They were joined by the rest of Team Oddball, who swarmed Bridgette in a group hug.

"You get to stay!" Jasmine said happily.

"Awesome!" Shawn agreed.

"So who's going to which team?" Duncan asked.

"Let's see," Chris scratched his stubble as he looked at the three girls, "let's have…Bridgette go to Nuclear, Jo go to Alpha, and Izzy join the Oddballs! Seems fitting enough to me, since Izzy's nuts, Jo's an alleged 'athlete' and Bridgette's got some past drama."

The girls looked at each other and shrugged. They turned to their teammates to say goodbye.

"Well, it sucks to see you go," Owen said sadly, "but I'm glad you're still here!"

Bridgette gave him one final hug, "don't worry about it," she told him happily.

Jo turned to Team Nuclear. "Well, I'd say its been real, but you guys voted me out and Duncan you're a backstabbing crybaby," she said bluntly. "Beardo, watch yourselves around these snakes."

Beardo chuckled awkwardly, "it was nice workin' with ya, Jo."

"Smell ya later," Duncan saluted.

Jo scoffed in disgust and walked over to the absolute shambles that was Team Alpha. Zoey had her back turned on Noah and Lightning, who were both looking a little unnerved about what had just happened. "Great," the alpha-female commented, "just great…"

"Welcome to the team," Noah said sarcastically, "I'd bake you some cookies to welcome you, but we're a little preoccupied."

Bridgette joined the members of Team Nuclear, where she was immediately given a big hug by Gwen. "This is awesome!" The goth said happily, "welcome to the team, Bridgette!"

Bridgette eagerly returned the hug, "Yay! I'm so stoked to be here," she told the team earnestly, "I dodged a bullet!"

"Welcome welcome," Beardo told her happily, mimicking a party popper going off. " I wish I had some confetti!"

As Sammy and Duncan also welcomed her, Izzy walked over to team Oddball.

"Hey guys!" She greeted happily, as if none of the drama with her previous team had happened.

"G'day," Jasmine greeted with a smile.

Shawn waved, "Uh, welcome to the team, I guess!" He offered .

"Thanks!" Izzy said brightly, "Oh, by the way…what did you want to talk about Owen?"

All three of their gazes turned to Owen, who instantly became awkward and stiff. "Oh," the tubby boy said, flushing slightly, "uh…nothing important really! Heh-heh, I…uh, yeah. Nothing." He kicked at a patch of dirt, "anyways, glad you're still here, Iz!"

Izzy grinned at him, "that makes two of us! Yay to Team Oddball!"

The team cheered.

"Well, that was hysterical and awesome," Chris told them.

"So is anyone actually getting the boot?" Noah asked.

Chris nodded, "yep! _You_ are, Noah!"

Everyone gasped.

Chris cackled, "nah, just kidding."

Noah scowled at him. "Don't do that, jerk."

Chris just waved him off dismissively, "get outta here, you punks. I'll see you tomorrow for the next challenge, which will have a _real_ elimination this time!" As the campers walked off screen, he turned to the camera. "Well there you have it! No eliminations, but a team swap! How will the new teams fare with their new members? Is Team Alpha doomed to disintegrate until theres no one left? How will Owen handle his Izzy-kafafel? Find out right here, next time, on Total! Drama! Generations!"

As he signed off, the camera panned back to the backs of the remaining thirteen contestants as they headed towards their trailers. Tensions were running high, and the competition was still in its early stages. No one knew what was to come, but one thing was certain.

It was going to get ugly.

* * *

**Voting Confessionals (Team Nuclear):**

Duncan: It was a tougher call than I thought it'd be, but I gotta vote for Jo.

Gwen: I vote for Jo. We won't miss her.

Jo: Welp, looks like it's Sammy's turn to dip. Darn shame.

Sammy: I vote for Jo! She's a pretty negative influence on the team.

/

**Votes:**

_Jo - 3 votes: (Ducnan, Gwen, Sammy)._

_Sammy - 1 vote: (Jo)._

* * *

**Voting Confessionals (Team Alpha):**

Izzy: I vote for Lightning, not that it matters. Izzy know's her friend Noah, and how much he's changed.

Lightning: Sorry, Izzy. Lightning like ya, but since Zoey is safe, he doesn't have many other options.

Noah: I hate this. I vote for Izzy.

/

**Votes: **

_Izzy - 2 votes: (Lightning, Noah)._

_Lightning - 1 vote: (Izzy)._

* * *

**Voting Confessionals: (Team Oddball):**

Bridgette: I vote for Shawn. C'mon, Owen...I'm counting on you!

Owen: Gah, this is so hard! I vote for Shawn...no, Bridgette! No...Shawn! No...*inhale* Bridgette! Final answer, I'm so sorry!

Shawn: Sorry, Bridgette, but my vote goes to you.

/

**Votes:**

_Bridgette - 2 votes: (Owen, Shawn)._

_Shawn - 1 vote: (Bridgette)._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Zoey, Lightning, Noah, Jo.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Owen, Izzy.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Sammy, Beardo, Bridgette.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky, Rodney.**

* * *

**SURPRISE! Team switch! Hopefully I got some of you up until the last moment. Hahah, I always planned to do this since the start. This sets up the dominoes for the second part of the story and making some key interactions much more believable for chapters to come. I'm hoping you all will be relieved, since all three ladies that would've been eliminated are super fun to write (and hopefully to read).**

**Anyways, with the new teams, who's your bet on next ****eliminated? Let me know in a review! I'll catch ya guys next time.  
**


	11. Mazes, Melodrama, Meltdowns, and More!

**Back at it again with another chapter! Excited to write this one, since I get to write the new teams trying to work together! Hope you guys enjoy it too! **

_**ONCE A CHAPTER REMINDER TO VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE FOR WHO YOU WANT TO RETURN AT THE MERGE. WHOEVER GETS FIRST WILL RETURN. YOU DECIDE.**_

* * *

Morning dawned on Wawanakwa Island. The previous night, the campers had experienced quite the shock when the three would-be eliminated campers: Jo, Bridgette and Izzy, had all been spared the Boat of Losers when Chris had announced that they were not eliminated but would instead be switching teams.

It had been a restless and stressful sleep for most of the thirteen remaining campers. The events that had transpired the night previous had been strenuous, specifically the re-emergence of Commando Zoey. All others had at least some idea of what this meant, as she had left an infamous mark on the final few episodes of Total Drama: Revenge of the Island.

As a result, most of the campers were up before Chris even had woken them up. The morning was grey and the sun had barely peeked over the horizon as the door to the boys trailer opened. A tired Lightning stood in the doorway, looking out over the misty morning. He heaved a sigh and made his way towards the bathrooms.

Also coming out of the trailer was Shawn. He jogged down the two steps, but headed towards the woods instead.

The camera shifted and panned into the trailer, showing the remaining males. Duncan and Beardo were the only two asleep, crashed out on the comfy bunkbeds and snoring loudly. Underneath the snoozing beatboxer, Owen pulled on his shoes, a troubled expression on his normally happy face.

Noah, the only other one awake in the trailer, was in the process of debating whether or not to go back to sleep or not, having been roused by Shawn, Owen and Lightning getting dressed. The bookworm was under the covers, but had his eyes open as he watched Owen heave himself off his bunk and to his feet.

"Going to get some breakfast?" He asked his friend sleepily.

Owen turned to look at him, and Noah was surprised to see a cold sadness in his friend's normally jovial eyes. Without responding, Owen turned and left the trailer. Noah gaped after him, but didn't say anything else.

Jarred by his friends coldness, all thoughts of returning to bed vanished from Noah's mind, and he got up and began to get dressed.

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah looks down guiltily, "Crap. I totally screwed up. I wasn't even thinking about Owen when I voted last night, I got so caught up in the moment. I still think keeping Lightning was the right move for me, at least game-wise. Friend wise," he shook his head sadly, "big mistake…" the book worm looks back at the camera, a little hopeful, "but maybe since Izzy's still here, he won't be that mad?"

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

The situation was similar for the girls in their trailer, but it was a little more awkward cause of one particular woman.

Zoey practically radiated danger. It was like a dark cloud was looming over her head. Her eyes were hard and unforgiving, and she had undone her braid so that her waist length, cherry red hair flowed freely around her face and back. She was currently sitting at the wooden table in the trailer, drumming her fingers on it as she glared out the window.

The rest of the girls were having a silent communication behind her back. Fifteen minutes earlier, Jo had attempted to make a snide remark about Zoey, but the girl had just turned to glare so fiercely at Jo that the normally brazen athlete had quickly excused herself from the trailer to go for a morning run.

That left Jasmine, Bridgette, Izzy, Gwen, Sammy looking at each other awkwardly.

"You're friends, right?" Jasmine whispered to Gwen, "why don't you go talk to her?"

"I dunno," Gwen whispered back, "I've never seen her like this…"

Izzy, less wary than the other girls, walked up to Zoey and sat down next to her. "Hey Zoey!" She greeted happily. "Sleep well?"

Zoey's eyes softened a little when she saw her friend. "No," she said bluntly, "I slept like crap. Yesterday sucked."

"Lightning was way out of line," Izzy agreed, still grinning, "you gonna kick his butt?"

The troubled young girl nodded her head, her expression full of determination, "Without question."

"Great! Let's go grab some food, eh?" Izzy slung an arm around her shoulder and the two stood up. They left the trailer, leaving the other four girls surprised.

"Man, Izzy really has no fear, does she?" Sammy asked with a nervous chuckle.

Gwen shook her head, "nope, she's as insane as they come."

"Seems like a good gal, though," Jasmine offered. The four girls filed out of the trailer, heading towards the Mess Hall as well.

"I _think_ her heart's in the right place?" Bridgette said, though her uncertainty made it sound more like a question. The surfer shook her head, "I think she'll fit right in with you guys, though."

Jasmine looked a little troubled, "yeah, we'll see…"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.) **

"Look, I haven't been keeping tabs on Izzy and Owen," the survivalist admits, "but they were swapping spit a few nights ago like a couple a' koalas in heat. Our team was great before, since it meant Shawn and I were guaranteed to be the last two standing on the team. Now, though…if Izzy and Owen get back together, that means we might be forced into a tiebreaker."

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

Shawn whistled to himself in the grey morning, walking through the woods and occasionally popping a berry into his mouth. He was currently making his way back to camp, ready for some real food, when he heard loud footsteps and heavy breathing approaching from behind him.

"Ahh, zombie!" He screamed, leaping up into the nearest tree. He looked down to see a jogging Jo run up to his tree. She stopped to catch her breath, looking up at Shawn with an incredulous look.

"Uhh, earth to Crazy Boy, it's just me."

Shawn blinked away his shock, quickly lowering himself back onto the ground. "Whoops, sorry about that," he apologized, "what the heck are you doing out here this early?"

"Going for my morning run," Jo responded, leaning against the tree trunk. "As for why I'm up early, Commando Crybaby was keeping us girls up with her doom vibes."

Shawn looked a little stumped, and scratched at the back of his beanie awkwardly, "Commando Crybaby?"

Jo waved a dismissive hand, unbothered that Shawn hadn't picked up on her mocking nickname, "Zoey," she explained, "you were there last night when she snapped, right?" She peered at him through squinted eyes, "or maybe zombies really have gotten to your brains…"

Shawn clutched his head protectively, "No way," he said defensively, "I just didn't know there was a name for her, _that's_ all." He removed his arms from his head and put a few fingers to his chin, looking thoughtfully upwards, "though now that you mention it, I _do_ remember her getting all cold and bitter in her last few episodes of your first season." He looked down at the assortment of berries in his hand and offered it to Jo, "berry?"

After a moment of consideration, Jo swiped a few berries from him with a nod of thanks. "Yeah, and now I'm stuck on a team with her." She said as she chewed, "and she's got some weird hate dynamic with Lightning, who's a _moron_. Then we've got Whiny McScrawnypants to round out the circus."

Shawn chuckled, "yeah, sounds like a tough situation."

The tomboy rolled her eyes and began to walk back towards camp. Shawn matched her pace. "I just don't like knowing what's going on," she admitted as they walked, "I need to know what's been going on there, and why Zoey and Lightning seem to hate each other so much."

"Just ask each person on your team individually," Shawn suggested, "they've all probably got slightly different stories, but if you piece them together through all three accounts, you'll probably have all the info you need."

Jo looked surprised at Shawn's intuition, "Huh, not a bad idea. Maybe you're not a complete loon!"

Shawn rolled his eyes as the Mess Hall came into view, "how kind of you to say," he said sarcastically.

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

"Whether I like it or not, I have to adapt to my new team," Jo tells the camera bluntly, "I just need to figure out what's going on so I can actually form a plan."

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

Everyone, even the sleepy Beardo and Duncan, had finally made it to the Mess Hall and were chowing down on some breakfast. They were excited to hear that cinnamon rolls were today's breakfast, and even Chef telling them that they were 'the best canned cinnamon rolls on the market' couldn't detract from their excitement at enjoying a tasty treat.

Even Owen, who had been glum all morning, seemed temporarily distracted as he chowed down.

"This team is gonna be so fun!" Izzy exclaimed, bouncing up and down in her chair. "We're all so tough, we're never gonna lose!"

Owen looked over at her, a nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, it's the best."

Izzy wrapped her arms around Owen's arm in her signature Izzy-hug. "We're going to kick all the butt together, you guys!" She told the team, "I just know it!"

Owen tried to cease his blushing in a very unsuccessful manner, "Uhh, yeah! Winning all the way! Woohoo!"

"Say, you're a little red in the face there, Big-O," Izzy said, releasing her hug and putting a hand to his forehead, "you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine!" Owen squeaked, "I uh, must have cinnamon bun fever!"

Izzy removed her hand, "well be careful. Izzy lost four relatives to that," her tone was deadly serious.

Jasmine tried to catch Shawn's eye, but the scruffy boy was too busy staring at the two with a happy smile. The big girl sighed uneasily.

* * *

You could hear a pin drop over at the Alpha table.

Zoey was eating in silence, glaring holes in her plate as she forcefully ripped cinnamon buns apart with her hands and shoved them into her mouth. Across from her, Noah was staring blankly ahead, his mind churning and grinding out different ideas and trying to ignore the wracking guilt making a home in his chest.

Lightning was glaring at Zoey as he ate, annoyed that the redhead was ignoring him.

Jo was observing the catastrophe that was her team, unsure whether to make a mean comment, snide joke, or both. "_So_ glad to be here, guys," she finally said, "the vibes here are just great."

Lightning scoffed and turned his glare from Zoey to Jo. "Lightning can't believe that it was your stupid face that got put on our team! He'll never forget you eliminating him in All-Stars!"

Jo rolled her eyes, "are you really that sad to be kicked out of that train wreck of a season so early? I practically did you a favor!"

"Losing early is a favor? Sha-ridiculous," Lightning shook his head, "why couldn't they have kicked off someone cool, like that Beardo guy or Duncan. At least _they're_ kinda fun to be around!"

"Well, I'm here now and you just gotta suck it up, Lame-ning," Jo told him snootily, "at least under my watchful eye, there's no way we'll lose a challenge."

Lightning and Zoey snorted at the same time, then both glared at each other.

Jo slapped her face and slowly dragged her hand down it, sighing.

* * *

"I'm so happy to be on this team!" Bridgette said happily, pushing her empty plate away from her.

"Really?" Duncan asked with mock enthusiasm, "you've only said it like 10 times since last night."

"Oh shut it, Duncan," Gwen smirked, "we're happy to have you here, Bridgette."

"Yeah," Sammy said happily, "and we have a person up on everyone else. Maybe we can use that to our advantage!" She gasped, "what if we won every challenge until the merge? Then we could all team up on the others!"

"Wishful thinking," Duncan said with a skeptical snort.

"Someone's cheerful this morning," Beardo pointed out.

"I'm just tired," Duncan said with a shrug, "tension has been up because of all the stupid stuff going on with Team Alpha. Lightning's been a real drag to have in the trailer."

"True," Beardo agreed, "he's been," he mimicked a crackling and sparking fire, "pretty _heated._"

"Well, whatever we have to deal with here can't be worse than the certain doom of getting booted off next time we lose," Bridgette sighed.

"That must have been stressful," Sammy said sympathetically.

"Super stressful," Bridgette agreed.

"I wonder what today's challenge is gonna be?" Beardo wondered, finishing the last of his cinnamon roll. He sucked the frosting from his fingers, "mm, that's good stuff right there."

"Well I'm happy you asked, Beardo my man," came Chris's voice from the entrance to the Mess Hall. The thirteen campers turned to look at him. "Because coincidentally enough, it's time for the next challenge!"

"Bring it!" Jasmine and Izzy said in unison, standing up from their chairs.

Chris put on a gas mask. "Great!"

"Wait, why's he putting on a gas mask?" Sammy asked nervously.

"Man, not again," Duncan whined.

A patch of the ceiling quickly retracted, and a fancy looking cannon replaced the tile that had vanished. It unleashed a thick purple smoke that quickly sprayed all over the Mess Hall, and the thirteen campers collapsed, snoring.

The cannon retracted and was replaced by a huge fan, which quickly sucked up all the gas. Chris removed his gas mask and shot a grin at the camera. "I love my job!"

* * *

Bridgette groaned and sat up. Her eyes squinted in the dim light and saw another sleeping body next to her. She pushed herself into a standing position, still a little dizzy, and walked up to the other person.

"Psst, Duncan, wake up!" She hissed.

Duncan groaned and opened his eyes. He put a hand to his head and let out a loud yawn. "What the…where are we?" He looked around, "where's everyone else?"

"I don't know," Bridgette said nervously, taking in her surroundings.

They were in a dimly lit hallway, or at least it seemed like a hallway. The walls were a dark red stone and torches lined the walls every ten feet or so. The floor was dirt, and it was surprisingly eerie.

"This place is weird," Duncan commented, "why is there a hallway with a dirt floor?"

A monitor popped out of the ground next to them, startling the two. The screen cracked to life to show Chris's grinning mug.

* * *

"Oi," Jasmine barked, startling a nervous Owen, "a monitor's just appeared."

The two walked over to the monitor as Chris began to talk. "Welcome to your next challenge, kiddos! Listen carefully, because this might be the most dangerous challenge yet!"

Owen and Jasmine exchanged a glance.

"You are currently locked in a large maze," Chris explained, "and your goal is to get to the center, where you'll be able to climb to freedom. You'll each notice you have something on your wrist."

* * *

Jo tapped on the strange device on her wrist, and was startled to see a holographic map pop out. Next to her, Noah had done the same.

"That little red dot you see is you," Chris explained, "and it will track your progress throughout the maze."

"So it's like a map," Noah realized, "that gets bigger the more we explore."

"Precisely," Chris confirmed, "be careful though, as there are plenty of dangers in your path to freedom. Most notably is Sasquatchanakwa, who's been let loose in the maze."

* * *

Izzy gasped, "ooh, I haven't seen Sassy in a hot minute! Fun!"

"Sasquatchanawka?" Shawn questioned.

"Yeah, remember that big purple ape dude?" Izzy told him. "Murderous rager, lover of TV documentaries?"

Shawn gulped. "Oh yeah…"

"He's going to be hunting for you guys, so it's best to avoid him at all costs," Chris advised, "and I know what you're thinking, it'll be hard to evade him in a tight maze with narrow corridors. Well to that, I say you're darn right! Hahaha!" He stopped laughing and the serious expression returned, "don't worry, though. He won't mess you up too bad, just rough you up a little bit and slow your progress down. There are other hazards too, not to mention booby traps. Keep a sharp eye out."

* * *

Sammy and Gwen exchanged a nervous look.

"I don't like the sound of booby traps," Sammy said nervously.

"Me neither," Gwen agreed.

"The first team to get all their members across wins the challenge _and_ gets a reward," Chris told them, "the second place team is safe, but has to face an obnoxious punishment. Last place faces the worst punishment of all: elimination!" The screen shut off, and retracted into the

"Well, we better get going then," Gwen said, watching the monitor disappear. "Hopefully we can avoid Sasquatchanakwa."

"He sounds terrifying," Sammy gulped, turning her head to peer behind them. "Which way should we start."

Gwen tapped her wrist and looked at the holographic map that popped up, "well, we've got zero progress so it's a guessing game." She pointed forwards, "so let's just go."

Sammy nodded, and the two began to walk down the dark labyrinth.

* * *

"Why's it so dark in here?" Lightning complained, "Lightning can't see a dang thing."

Zoey was studying her holographic map with a frown. She was pointedly ignoring Lightning.

"And he can't believe he got partnered up with _you_." The alpha athlete continued, glaring down at Zoey. "Heck, Lightning thinks he might even take _Jo_ over you!"

"The feeling is mutual," Zoey snapped, "but the fact of the matter is we need to find the center of this stupid maze so we don't lose." She turned to give Lightning a scathing look, "unless you're planning on throwing the challenge to try and get me out."

Lightning scoffed, crossing his massive arms over his equally large chest, "Lightning doesn't care _how_ much beef he has with _anyone_. Winning will always be number one on his priority list. Sha-always!"

"Then you're not a complete idiot," Zoey told him, her mocking tone jarring. "Let's get moving."

* * *

Beardo gulped, eyeing the dark hallway in front of him. With the only light coming rom the flickering torches, the shadows were long and the silence was eerie. The only sound came from the crunching dirt under his heavy footfalls.

"Dark red stone, dirt floor," Beardo whispered, creeping along at a snails pace, "monsters hunting ya, barely any light…what could go wrong, right?" He looked around, "I just wish I had a buddy or something!"

He took a step forward and his foot sank slightly into the ground. He heard a sharp _click_ from above him. The big guy froze, slowly looking up towards the ceiling. A piece of stone had slid aside, leaving a square of darkness. As Bearo stared, a pair of red eyes could be seen. Two more pairs joined him, and before he knew it he had twenty pairs of beady red eyes glaring down at him.

Beardo gulped, "Ruh roh," he said in a perfect imitation of Scooby-Doo. The twenty pairs of eyes descended on him, revealed in the light as a swarm of bats that instantly crowded the boy, making him scream and sprint off down the hallway.

* * *

"The Naturalist creeps along with his partner, ready for action as a moments notice," whispered a voice from off camera.

The camera was currently on Jasmine as she walked along, a tired expression on her face.

"Patience is key and keeping cool is law," the voice continued, "for in the wild, the calm are kings…"

Jasmine rolled her eyes but remained silent. She clicked open her holo-map and checked their progress.

"Step…step…step…step…never wavering," the voice continued as they walked, "step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…step…"

"Owen, mate, will you _please_ keep it down?"

Owen paused both his words and his feet. "Oh, sorry Jasmine," he apologized, "I didn't mean to annoy you…I'm just in a troubled place right now."

"Yeah, it's fine," Jasmine brushed his apology off, "let's just stay focused. We don't know what's gonna be coming around each corner." As if to prove her point, the two rounded a corner and Jasmine tripped a tripwire. They both heard the snap of the wire and screamed and ducked as a bunch of darts flew over their head and clattered against the wall, where they fell onto the ground.

Jasmine grabbed a dart and sniffed it, "yep, these woulda put us to sleep for a little while," she noted, tossing the dart over her shoulder. "I've smelt that salve before, it'll knock ya right out."

Owen scooped up a couple of darts and put them in his pocket. At Jasmine's weird look, he shrugged his massive shoulders. "Maybe if we run into Sasquatchanakwa we can use them?"

Jasmine pondered that for a few seconds before shrugging, "not a bad idea," she admitted, pocketing a few darts of her own, "let's keep moving."

* * *

"So…" Bridgette said as she and Duncan traversed the maze.

The two had been making pretty good progress through the maze, and had taken a couple of fortunate turns to get themselves closer to the center of the maze. Luckily for the duo, they hadn't run into any traps either.

"So…what?" Duncan asked, two steps ahead of the surfer as they walked.

"How's it been going?" Bridgette offered.

Duncan snorted, "I didn't know you cared."

Bridgette raised an eyebrow, "oh, so that's how it's going to be?"

"You tell me, Malibu," Duncan said, "you're the one that chewed me out after All-Stars at that party."

"Because you were an ass, that's why!" Bridgette exclaimed, crossing her arms, "parading about that party, boasting about how cool you were that your jail sentence was only 60 days because you were famous. Don't even get me started on how you were talking about Courtney and Gwen! Even Geoff was pissed, and he'll defend you to the ends of the earth!"

Duncan turned around to glare at the steaming mad surfer, but couldn't find any appropriate words to defend himself.

"So do you deny the fact that you were a huge jerk?" Bridgette asked him.

"…no," Duncan finally said through gritted teeth.

"Then don't give me that sulky 'I didn't know you cared', crap," Bridgette said sternly.

"That was a long time ago," Duncan muttered.

"It was," Bridgette agreed, still looking annoyed with the sulking delinquent in front of her, "and from what I've gathered from Gwen you've changed…for the better. Right now, though? I'm not really seeing it."

Duncan exhaled at an obnoxious volume and turned back around, and the two continued their walk through the dark maze. "Things have been…weird," he eventually said, "I'm sure you know about all that BS that went down a few challenges ago?"

"The one that led to you getting kicked off but saved by Brick?" Bridgette said, a bit sour, "yeah, I'm aware. He totally screwed me by doing that."

Duncan bit back a laugh, but couldn't hide his smirk as he turned to face her, "so you and Army Boy were allied up? Why do I find that so hilarious?"

Bridgette gave him a sardonic sort of smile, "well with Shawn and Jasmine dominating the team and Owen being good friends with Shawn, I didn't have much of a choice," she said, "I mean, why do you think it was me that got voted off the Oddballs last night?"

"Fair point," Duncan conceded, "still a hilarious image though." The two were silent for a minute as they hanged a left, getting ever closer to the centre of the maze.

"Well, Gwen's a good friend of mine," Bridgette finally said, "and I need to make sure you aren't planning anything shady with her."

Duncan scoffed, offended, "give me some credit, Bridgette, I'm not-"

"She told me about the voting thing," she interrupted, and Duncan winced.

"That's just strategical, it has nothing to do with it being Gwen."

"I know," Bridgette said, "but do you have any…ulterior motives? Or lingering feelings?"

Duncan was starting to get angry, "my feelings don't matter," he growled, "and they don't exist either, okay? Even if they did, she has a boyfriend, so it's a moot point."

"She has a boyfriend? Huh, I didn't know that." Bridgette raised her eyebrows in surprise, "good for her."

"Yeah," Duncan grunted, "great."

* * *

"So what the heck has been going on in this crapshoot of a team?" Jo asked, her tone rude and impatient as she yanked the boy out of a pit of quicksand. "Also, watch where you're stepping."

Noah brushed the clumpy wet sand off of himself, "a lot of stuff," he told Jo, "do you want the short version or the long version?"

"I want the _truth_ version," Jo said pointedly. She held up a fist in his direction, "and I'm pretty darn good at sniffing out liars."

Noah wiped his hands together to rid himself of the last of the quicksand and then held said hands up defensively, "fair enough, fair enough. I don't know everything for sure, but I can give you my best guess as to what's going on."

The two began to walk, "I'm listening," Jo told him.

"Well it all started off when Sky started making eyes at Lightning." Noah told her.

"Blech, gross," Jo gagged.

"Right? Anyways, Zoey and Lightning always had this sort of low-key animosity with one another. Once Sky and Lightning kind of 'officially' got together, I wanted to ally with them."

"But let me guess, Lightning didn't want to," Jo scoffed.

"Bingo." Noah nodded his head, "then I talked to the rest of the team, and we were all kinda in an agreement that Sky and Lightning were too dangerous together."

"So why boot Sky instead of Lightning?" Jo asked, "especially if Zoey's got beef with him?"

"Dunno," Noah shrugged, "maybe Rodney convinced her that Lightning was more of an asset to the team? Anyways, I had no problem voting for either of them, so I had no complaints with Sky going."

"And I'm guess Lightning didn't like that."

"No indeed," Noah said, nodding again, "he's convinced Zoey voted Sky just to hurt him, and their conflict reached an all time high."

"So how the hell did Rodney end up getting booted?" Jo scratched her chin, "that doesn't add up."

Noah shrugged, "I'm honestly not too sure about that one. Izzy and I just sorta voted for him and he ended up leaving. Dunno about the rest of the team."

"Why not kick off one of the two people who've been causing conflict?" Jo pointed out, "that would make it a lot easier to deal with challenges."

Noah shrugged and didn't respond. "Well, I'm actually glad you're on the team. With Izzy gone, my only ally left," he lied, "without you, I'd probably be gone next."

"What makes you think I want to ally with _you_?" Jo scoffed, "you're whiny, pathetic, and weak."

Noah glared at her, "what, you're going to buddy up with _Lightning_?"

"Well…no," Jo scowled, "I can't stand that idiot."

"Good, or you can choose Zoey, who'll just as soon throw you to sharks than vote with you in her current state," Noah shook his head, "no, Jo, I think I'm your best shot here. Which is nice, cause you're _my_ best shot."

"We'll see," Jo said begrudgingly, "for now though, let's win this stupid challenge."

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah sighs, tired and weary, "Welp, theres more lies I have to keep track of. I need a spreadsheet at this rate." He shakes his head, "but my hand is being forced here with all these Type-A personalities on my team. If I can ally with Jo and keep the fact that I'm allied with Lightning a secret, we can easily boot Zoey next time we lose, then Lightning and I can just kick Jo off in the event we lose again before the merge." He yawns, "y'know, this strategy thing is nearly as fun as I thought it would be. I don't have the sadistic, mustache-twirling energy to enjoy it."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

"Yeah, something doesn't quite add up with Noah's story," Jo frowns, "and I know _just _who to talk to to get to the bottom of this."

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

"We're getting close to the center," Shawn said excitedly.

"Aw, this has been too easy," Izzy pouted, looking up to the ceiling and shaking her fists, "c'mon Chris, I thought you said there was supposed to be hazards and booby traps!"

The zombie enthusiast looked around nervously, "I don't think avoiding those is a bad thing," he gulped. The two continued walking, and turned a corner to see a pillar of light shining down on something shiny on a pedestal, midway down the hallway.

"Ooh, what's that?" Izzy gasped, racing down the hallway to inspect the pedestal.

Shawn raced after her, "Uh, Izzy, maybe we don't touch whatever that is," he looked down and gasped.

Sitting on the pedestal was a golden crown, embedded with dozens of gorgeous, sparkling jewels of different colors.

"Aw, I thought it would be something cool," Izzy pouted, "but it's just a dumb crown!" She put a hand behind her head and sashayed her hips, "Izzy doesn't need a crown to know she's a queen!" She boasted. "Anyways, let's get moving…Shawn?"

Shawn seemed entranced by the crown, and slowly reached a hand out to grab it, "shiny…" he whispered.

"Uh, Shawn, remember the booby traps?" Izzy said, raising an eyebrow. When she received no response, she just shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Welp, I did all I could do! Besides, I'm kinda interested to see what's going to happen!"

Shawn grabbed the tiara and removed it. The moment the crown parted from the surface of the stone, the pedestal crumbled and a huge rumble was heard, shaking the entire hallway.

The rumbling was enough to rouse Shawn from his trance, "huh? What happened?" He asked.

The rumbling continued as the ceiling at the far end opened up, and a huge boulder fell and slammed into the ground, making both Shawn and Izzy jump in surprise. They screamed as it began to roll towards them, picking up speed at an alarming rate. The two Oddballs turned tail and ran, Shawn dropping the crown as he did. It was crushed into dust under the boulder.

"Aaaaah!" The two screamed as they fled the boulder.

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn.)**

Shawn shoots the camera a guilty look, "Ok fine, I have a bit of a fascination with shiny things…can you blame me?! They're so…shiny!"

**(End Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

Sammy and Gwen were currently running hard. However, it was excitement, not fear, that sped their feet forwards.

"Almost there," Gwen said excitedly, "just one more turn and…" she turned the corner and skidded to a halt. "Whoa!"

Sammy nearly wiped out into the back of Gwen, but stopped just in time. The two looked down the hallway with wide eyes.

Fifty yards away, a ladder led up out of sight, wreathed in a bright light.

"The exit!" Sammy said excitedly.

"Yeah, but getting there isn't gonna be easy," Gwen lamented.

It was true, between them and the ladder was a huge, gaping chasm. There seemed to be two ways to cross. One way was to hop across rickety platforms suspended over the chasm. The second was a shoddy set of rope monkey bars that went above the chasm.

"Monkey bars or stepping stones?" Gwen asked Sammy, not looking too thrilled about either options.

"Definitely monkey bars," Sammy said, walking over to the rope bars and yanking on them, "cheerleading means my upper core strength is pretty good."`

"Yeah, I'm with you there," Gwen said dryly, "alright, let's move it."

The two began to make their way across the monkey bars, and all seemed to be going rather smoothly. Until…

"Oh my gosh, what's that?" Sammy gasped.

Gwen, who was directly behind her on the woven monkey bars, couldn't see past her freind's long blonde hair, "what's what?"

"That thing crawling towards us…it's…it's…" She let out a loud scream, "a SPIDER!"

"C'mon, Sammy, a little spider won't hurt you," Gwen said comfortingly.

"Ahhh!" Sammy let go of the monkey bars, luckily dropping onto one of the platforms above the chasm.

After looking down to make sure Sammy was okay, the goth returned her gaze forwards, "Jeez, Sammy, how much do you hate bugs? It's just…" she saw the spider, the size of a small dog, scuttling towards her and let out a scream of her own, "holy crap!"

The spider bared down on Gwen, who was too freaked out to do anything. When its glistening fangs were just inches from her knuckles, a stone smacked it in the face, sending it flailing off the rope and into the chasm below.

Gwen looked around for her savior, but the darkness made it tough. "Who did that?" She called, "thanks for that!"

"No problem!" Called a voice from across the chasm. Gwen squinted to see Jasmine and Owen approaching the ladder from the other side. Jasmine had been both speaker and thrower, and she shot the two a thumbs up before beginning to climb the ladder. "You alright, Sammy?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Sammy called back, "thanks, Jasmine!"

"Wait, how'd you cross the chasm before us?" Gwen yelled to them.

"The ladders in the middle of a four way intersection," Owen bellowed back, cupping his hands around his mouth so they could hear them, "we just came from a different direction!" He began to climb after Jasmine, "good luck!"

Sammy looked up at Gwen, who was still hanging.

"You gonna be okay down there, Sammy?" Gwen asked her.

Sammy surveyed the platforms, a little nervous but not wanting to show it. "I'll be fine," she told Gwen firmly, "now let's get this challenge over with!"

* * *

"Lightning thinks we should go _left_!"

"I am not having this conversation right now!" Zoey snapped at him. She pulled up her holo-map and all but shoved it into Lightning's face, "we're here, see?" She pointed to the red dot, "going left takes us away from the center. Why would we do that?!"

Lightning scoffed and crossed his arms, "because it's a maze, sha-DUH. You always gotta go backwards to go forwards in these stupid things!"

"Well until we know for sure that the short route doesn't work, we're not taking the long route!" Zoey told him irately, "now shut up and follow me!"

Lightning gasped, "you don't get to tell the Lightning to shut up!" He said, angry, "not after all you've done to him!"

"I haven't done _squat_ to you, but I'm about to," Zoey promised him.

"You don't scare Lightning, Commando or not," Lightning crossed his arms, "you're gonna pay after conspiring against him to kick off Shorty."

A vein in Zoey's temple began to throb, "I already told you it was Noah's plan, not mine. But don't worry, I'll reunite you with her soon enough."

"In your dreams! Now c'mon, we're going left!"

"I'm not going left!" Zoey shouted at him, "go left if you want, but I thought you weren't planning on throwing challenges!"

"Ugh! It's not throwing, you're just WRONG!" Lightning bellowed back.

"Guess we'll see," Zoey said, her tone dangerously grim, "but I'm going right." Fed up with Lightning's antics, she turned her back on him and took the right turn, not looking back.

Lightning gnashed his teeth, glaring at her back until it disappeared around the corner. "Sha-fine! Lightning'll show _you_." He turned left and the two separated.

* * *

Beardo whistled the tune to "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" as he walked, his eyes wide and nervous as he shambled through the maze. He had lost the bats, but only just. The scratch marks on his face proved that he hadn't escaped unscathed, and his afro was a complete disaster.

The terrified young man pulled out his holo-map and glanced at it. "Decently close," he said, looking at the outline, "I've retracted my steps, so I just need to hang a right instead of a left." He took a deep breath and shut off his map. "Easy-peasy." He turned right and instantly bumped into something hard and furry.

"What the…?" He looked up, right into Sasquatchanakwas' beady little eyes. Beardo took a step back and gulped.

The angry Bigfoot looked down at him and let out a angered roar, blowing Beardo's already messy hair back even more.

Knowing he couldn't dare hope to outrun it, Bearo did the only thing he was confident in: he made noise. His eyes narrowed and he straightened himself up as he let out a roar thrice as loud as the one just thrown at him. Sasquatchanakwa recoiled in alarm and turned around, beginning to sprint away from Beardo.

Beardo gaped after the fleeing creature, massaging his now sore throat with one hand. "I can't believe that worked!" He rasped. "Too bad I have to follow it to get closer to the center…"

* * *

Things had been quiet between Duncan and Bridgette as they walked. It was a comfortable enough silence, but the two knew they wouldn't call the other friends.

"We've gotta be getting close," Duncan said tiredly. The two had dealt with several different traps that they had to have sprinted away from, and both were tiring quickly.

Bridgette had a hand clutching a stitch in her side as she walked. She had her other arm up and her holo-map activated, glancing at the different paths they had taken. "Looks like if we hang a right, we'll be in mystery territory. We are pretty close to the center, though…"

"Great," Duncan grunted.

"So, you're sure Gwen has a boyfriend?" Bridgette asked him curiously.

Duncan shot her an annoyed look, "that's what she said. I can't see any reason why she'd lie to me."

Bridgette could see _several_ reasons why Gwen might lie to Duncan about that, but she wasn't about to point them out to him. "Ok, just wondering," she said calmly, "I'm just surprised she hasn't told me about it."

"Probably because she's so anti-boy troubles," Duncan said, a warm smile threatening to crack his cold exterior, "poor Pasty, she's had to deal with her fair share of morons while on this show. I can't blame her for not wanting to talk about it."

"That's…mature of you," Bridgette looked at him, a little surprised.

Duncan just shrugged, "well, whatever." They turned a corner, "hey, look at that," Duncan pointed ahead.

A hundred or so yards away was the ladder of safety. Unfortunately for them, there were several obstacles in the way.

"Total…Drama! Chris…McLean!" Voices began to ring out from the dim light. Into the light of one of the torches stepped…Chris McLean.

"Chris?" Bridgette said, confused, "what are you doing down here?"

Chris raised his hands up and began shambling towards Bridgette and Duncan. From behind him, three more Chris's appeared, arms also outstretched. "Total..Drama! Winning! Perish!"

Bridgette and Duncan exchanged a look. "What the _hell_ is this?" Duncan said flatly. "I've had nightmares just like this."

The two heard some noise behind them, and turned around to see Noah and Jo scramble around the corner, eyes wide and out of breath.

"You two look like you've seen a ghost!" Bridgette exclaimed, quickly turning to make sure Jo and Noah were okay before returning her wary gaze back to the small group of Chris's.

The floor began to rumble. Dust rained from the ceiling onto the fours heads and Noah and Jo screamed in terror.

"He's coming!" Noah screeched, booking past Duncan and Bridgette and running face first into a Chris. There was a painful-sounding crunch of flesh on metal as Noah bounced off the Chris and onto the dirt floor.

"I know he's hard headed," Duncan said, starting to grow alarmed as the rumbling began to get closer and more rapid, "but I don't think Chris's skull should make that noise!"

"Forget that, Sasquatchanakwa's coming!" Jo yelled, blowing by the two Nuclear members and scooping up Noah with one arm.

"Not so fast!" One of the Chris's exclaimed, stepping in front of Jo and holding his arms out wide, "autograph…$100!"

"Out of the way, dumbass!" Jo cried, shoulder ramming the host into the wall. The Chris flew back into a torch on the wall and the torch broke free, falling onto his head.

Duncan gasped and Bridgette let out a scream as Chris's head was engulfed in flames. He seemed unbothered, though, and continued to shamble back towards Jo, head ablaze.

Jo stumbled back, dropping Noah back onto the ground. "Oh my god!" She gasped, "are you okay? What the hell!"

The fire slowly died, running out of stuff to consume, and the cause of Chris's lack of care for his face was revealed. His skull was chrome-colored and shiny. Glowing red eyes glared at Jo, and a wire sparked behind his ear. "Total…Drama!" Chris roared.

"It's the Chris-bots!" Noah groaned from the ground, still groggy. "He's not real!"

The three others looked surprised at first, but Jo quickly grew excited, "well this is a _great_ way to blow off some steam then!"

"Total…Drama!" The burnt Chris exclaimed, closing in on the jockette.

Jo drew back her fist, "You've had this coming all season, you whiny baby!" Her fist crashed into the cheekbone of the Chris, denting the metal and knocking the Chris onto the floor. Jo instantly held her hand, letting out a cry of pain. "Ow!" She examined her knuckles, which were now bruised. "Worth it!"

Noah got to his feet, still a little woozy. The rumbling was now right behind them, and Sasquatchankwa burst around the corner, letting out an enraged howl as he saw the four campers and small horde of Chris-bots.

"Let's get out of here!" Noah screamed, turning and scrambling towards the ladder.

The others didn't need to be told twice, and began to also haul ass towards the ladder. Sasquatchanakwa roared and began to charge down the hallway towards them. The burnt and dented Chris-bot, now recovered, intercepted the Sasquatch and punched it in the stomach.

Sasquatchanakwa roared, more in surprise at how much it hurt than anything else. It glared down at the Chris bot and picked it up in one hand, crushing its torso into a scrapheap with one flex of it's beefy hand. Now in two pieces, the Chris-bot fell to the floor and began to drag it's upper torso after the Sasquatch.

This distraction proved most helpful to the four campers, because as a Chris-bot dove at Bridgette, she lost her balance and hit the ground. She screamed and kicked the Chris-bot in the face, but it did little to deter it as it clambered closer to her.

"Look out!" Duncan yelled, kicking the Chris-bot's outstretched arm out of the way and grabbing it by it's hair. With a mighty yank, he hurled the Chris-bot to it's feet, away from Bridgette.

"Not the hair!" The Chris-bot exclaimed in terror. Duncan hurled the Chris-bot hair-first towards Sasquatchanakwa, who had just finished stomping through the chrome skull of the first Chirs-bot.

Bridgette scrambled to her feet, "let's keep moving!" More Chris-bots moved in, surrounding her and Duncan.

Fifty yards ahead, Noah and Jo had blown past most of the Chris horde and were now approaching the ladder. The two turned back at the base to see Duncan and Bridgette getting surrounded.

"Should we help them?" Noah asked worriedly, "Sasquatchanakwa looks pretty pissed."

Jo snorted, hands on the metal rungs already as she began to climb. "Duncan's a whiny back stabber. Serves him right. Now, c'mon!"

Noah sighed, but followed Jo up the ladder to safety.

Back with Duncan and Bridgette, the way to the ladder was completely blocked off by the Chris-bots. Behind the two, Sasquatchanakwa was ripping a path through Chris-bots, getting ever closer to them.

"What to we do?" Bridgette said, panic evident in her voice, "we're trapped!"

Duncan's head was on a swivel, looking for any possible escape. His mind raced as he came to the only conclusion available to him. "We're gonna have to sit tight until that freak gets here," he said grimly.

"What? We'll be trampled!" Bridgette exclaimed.

"We'll have to go under his legs as he races towards us. Once he starts annihilating the Chris-bots, we sneak around the carnage," Duncan said, not looking too thrilled with the plan either, "unless you've got a better idea, that is."

Bridgette didn't, so she merely gulped and prepared herself. They slowly backed up from the advancing Chris-bots, waiting for Sasquatchanakwa to charge. Fortunately for them, they didn't have to wait too long. Now finished with the most recent wave of metallic Chris's, the beast roared and sprinted towards the rest of them. Once he was close enough, Duncan and Bridgette dove between his tree-trunk sized legs and skidded on the dirt. Sasquatchanakwa clattered into the Chris-bots, scattering them like bowling pins, and began to pulverize and stomp the bots.

"C'mon, now's our chance!" Duncan said hurriedly, helping Bridgette to her feet. The two squeezed behind Sasquatchankwa's large back as he kicked a mutilated Chris-bot into the wall over and over again. Their path now clear, they easily reached the ladder and climbed it.

"Here they come!" Duncan heard a voice from above him, and saw a pale hand reaching towards him. Duncan grabbed it and let himself be helped up into a room. He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily, as the person helped Bridgette up too.

"I'm glad you guys are okay, it sounds like hell down there," Gwen told them, eyes wide as she peeked her head through the hatch down into the maze below, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on.

Duncan looked around, seeing Jasmine, Owen, Sammy, Jo and Noah as well. His head collapsed back onto the floor, exhausted.

"Thanks for leaving us back there," Bridgette scolded Jo and Noah. "We could've been seriously hurt!"

"You're fine, so stop whining!" Jo said dismissively. She looked around the room, which was made fully out of metal and only had candles to light it. "So…what now?"

"I think we just wait for everyone to be done," Sammy said nervously, "I'm pretty sure we're done with the challenge."

"We're just missing Beardo, right?" Gwen asked, looking around at everyone. She turned to Bridgette and Duncan, "he wasn't with you?"

Duncan shook his head, "I thought he'd be with you guys."

Gwen bit her lip, looking back down into the maze. "I hope he's okay…"

* * *

Izzy and Shawn rounded a corner to see Sasquatchanakwa kicking around the ruined remains of the Chris-bot horde. Behind him, the safety ladder gleamed in the light.

Izzy cracked her knuckles, "we can take him!"

"Or we can just run around him," Shawn whispered pointedly, "he hasn't seen us yet."

Izzy dropped her fists, a little put out, "but where's the fun in that?!"

"Uh…the fun is not getting horribly maimed by a pseudo-mythical beast!"

Izzy sighed, "whatever, let's sneak, then!"

The two began to tiptoe around the smashed piles of metal, getting ever closer to Sasquatchanakwa. Fortunately, stealth was in the two's skillset, and they were able to expertly avoid knocking over any metal or making any other noise.

Shawn and Izzy eventually approached the hulking beast, who was busy picking apart one of the more-intact Chris bots. It was facing one of the walls, meaning they could sneak around it's back.

"I'll go first," Shawn mouthed. He hopped over a small pile of metal, and, his back to the opposite wall, slid past Sasquatchanakwa.

Izzy shot him double thumbs up. "Not bad…but watch this!" She mouthed back. She began to sneak behind her obstacle, but paused when she was directly behind him. She raised her foot back.

Shawn saw this and frantically shook his head. "No no no no!" He mouthed.

Izzy saw Shawn's reaction and frantically nodded her head back, "yes yes yes yes!" She mouthed. She swung her foot forward with all her might, and a sickening crunch followed as her foot collided with the kiwis of the unsuspecting Sasquatch.

"Grarrarragh!" The Sasquatch collapsed onto it's side, its hand clutching it's groin in pain as Izzy let out a mischievous cackle, all pretense for stealth forgotten as she sprinted past the shell-shocked Shawn towards the ladder.

Fortunately, it seemed Izzy's kick had had enough 'oomph' to fell the beast at least temporarily, and Shawn and Izzy made it to the ladder unscathed.

"You might be crazier than a zombie!" Shawn chided as they climbed.

She just giggled, "Did you see the look on his face? Priceless!"

The two emerged into the safety room and were hugged excitedly by Jasmine and Owen.

"You guys made it!" Owen cheered, crushing Izzy's ribs excitedly.

"We won!" Jasmine smooched Shawn and separated, "I wonder what the reward will be?!"

"C'mon, Beardo…" Duncan groaned, "don't totally blow this for us!"

* * *

Zoey crept along the maze, brushing her now free-flowing hair out of her face, "maybe ditching the braid was a bad idea," she muttered to herself, annoyed by her own locks. She had her holo-map out and was slowly but surely getting closer to the center. She had taken plenty of wrong turns, but through trial and error was able to assume that the path she was on would lead her to the finish line.

"Three more rights, two more lefts," she told herself, eyes sharp for any traps or obstacles. She stepped over a trip wire, and then dodged a flurry of wall darts without even looking at them. "They'll have to do better than that if they want to stop me!" She vowed.

She continued her trek through the dingy maze, stopping or sprinting every now and again to avoid trouble. Eventually, she reached a long hallway. Further down was the ladder. There was no chasm or Sasquatch in her path though, but there was something else. Between her and the ladder was a large hollowed out cavern, and in the middle of that cavern sat an old foe.

"Larry," Zoey growled, beginning to walk towards the plant monster.

Larry the giant plant, at first eager at having someone to fight, saw who the person was. If a plant could scream in terror, it would've. It raised its giant tendrils to cover its head, shaking as Zoey approached it.

"Yeah, that's right! Remember me?" Zoey said, her tone angry and boastful as she got closer to the plant. "You better let me pass, or I'll have to repeat the butt-kicking I gave you last time we met!" Steel flashed through her eyes, and Larry lumbered to the opposite side of the cavern, letting Zoey pass unobstructed.

Zoey smirked, "good monster," she praised it as she reached the ladder. She hoisted herself up and was greeted by Jo and Noah.

"Where's Lightning?" Noah asked, looking down the ladder expecting to see him following.

"No idea," Zoey said bluntly, "he wanted to split up because he thought the way I wanted to go was wrong."

Jo slapped her forehead, "that idiot! No way he gets out by himself!"

Zoey shrugged, her face and tone uncaring, "I tried to get him to come with me, but you know how stubborn he is."

Noah groaned, "well, there's a chance he makes it back before Beardo, I guess…"

* * *

Lightning groaned as he wandered through the maze, completely lost. He pulled up his holo-map and smacked his forehead, as he was on the far top left corner of the maze. "How is Lightning supposed to get all the way to the center from here?" He lamented. His eyes squinted as he examined the path he had already taken to get there. "Agh, these lines are so darn confusing!" He closed his map and clapped his hands together, "so Lightning's just gonna sprint! He'll have to find the right path eventually! Sha-bam!" He began to sprint through the dark maze.

"Oh yeah, let's go! No way Lightning loses now!" He said confidently, "when he's on a roll, ain't _nothing_ stopping him!"

"And Lightning loses!" A voice rang out through the maze. "Team Nuclear and Team Oddball have all their members out of the maze! Since Lightning still remains in the maze, that means Team Alpha lose…for the third time in a row! Hahah!" The voice revealed itself as Chris.

"No way!" Lightning said indignantly, skidding to a stop, "this is a farce!" The ground opened up beneath him, and he disappeared with a scream. The camera cut to him being flung through tubes and pipes, going up and down, left and right, screaming all the way. Eventually, he was spat out of a vent in the safe room, where he landed with a painful crunch. "Ugh…Lightning's head hurts!" He groaned, sitting up and seeing Team Nuclear celebrating with a roughed up Beardo.

"Way to go, Brightning!" Jo snapped, "you couldn't have just followed Zoey's directions? She got here before Beardo, and we could've avoided elimination!"

Lightning grit his teeth, "Shut up, Jo! Lightning doesn't wanna hear any crap from _you_!"

"Well you're gonna!" Jo snarled, approaching the mega-jock and jamming a finger into his chest.

Chris suddenly appeared between the two of them, startling them both. "Hate to interrupt this little love fest," he told the two mockingly, "but I trust you all want to get outta here, right?"

The thirteen campers echoed various urgent agreement.

Chris pulled out a remote and clicked a button, and a patch of wall to their left opened up, revealing sunlight. "There ya go, kiddos. Home free." He walked out into the fresh forest air, but paused in the doorway, "remember," he reminded them, "Alphas, you're booting someone. Team Oddball, your reward is…new mattresses, pillows, and sheets for your beds! All quality approved by yours truly! You'll be sleeping like babies from now on."

Izzy and Owen cheered, while Jasmine and Shawn looked a little more miffed. "You're the one forcing us to sleep in the trailers," Jasmine said flatly, "we'd be fine without any of that stuff!"

"Yeah, can't we have something different?" Shawn asked.

"Let me think about that," Chris said, putting a hand under his chin with a thoughtful expression. That lasted all of two seconds before he laughed in their faces. "No! Team Nuclear, it's punishment time! You guys have to scrub out the bathrooms tomorrow!"

Beardo smacked his forehead, "we have to scrub out the bathrooms _and_ do a challenge! Man, I'm gonna be so wiped!"

"There's no challenge tomorrow, Beardo," Sammy reminded him, "remember what Chris said? Every three eliminations theres a rest day…so unless theres any more tricks up his sleeve," she eyed the innocent looking Chris with suspicion, "we won't have to do both in one day."

Beardo relaxed a little, but still looked pretty upset with the punishment. "Still…that's gross."

"You have no idea," Duncan grumbled.

"At least you're doing it of your own free will, not as Heather's lackey this time," Gwen teased him.

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

"This time, I'm almost relieved we lost," Noah rolls his eyes, "at least this way, the conflict will be resolved and Zoey goes home."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

The campers had all showered off the dirt and stress the maze had brought them, and were now in various places around camp, snacking, chatting, or planning.

Gwen, Bridgette, and Sammy were currently in the Mess Hall, chatting amicably about their lives.

"So, Gwen," Bridgette said with a twinkle in her eye, "why haven't you told me about your boyfriend back home?"

Sammy gasped, an excited grin appearing on her face, "Gwen! I didn't know you were taken!"

"Huh?" Gwen looked confused for a second, "I don't have a boyfriend."

Bridgette's eyebrows rose, "but Duncan said…"

Gwen gasped, her pale face getting even paler, "oh crap! That's right!"

"What is it?" Sammy asked, concerned.

Gwen smacked her face with her hand, "I told Duncan I had a boyfriend when we first got here, because I thought he was interested in me still!"

"So you don't have a boyfriend?" Bridgette clarified.

Gwen shook her head, "Nope. I just told him that because I thought it would really hammer home that I'm not interested in him."

"Oh," Bridgette blinked, "well…you said he isn't interested in you, right?"

"I think so," Gwen nodded.

"Well then just tell him it wasn't true. I don't think he'd care."

Gwen shrugged, "probably not, but I don't see a reason to bring it up outta nowhere. If he asks about my imaginary boyfriend I'll come clean."

Sammy nodded, "makes sense."

Bridgette relaxed in her seat, giving Gwen a curious look. Gwen noticed, and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

The surfer was quick to hold her hands up innocently, "nothing…nothing!"

* * *

Owen sighed, walking along the campground with a sad gait. The poor guy had had a really rough twenty-four hours, and needed a friend to talk to. He wasn't sure who he could trust though, as Noah had betrayed him by voting off Izzy, and he didn't really feel that Shawn could help him or understand what he was going through. As he walked, the downtrodden optimist heard voices from the Mess Hall, and his eyes widened slightly. He approached the entrance and walked in, seeing Sammy, Gwen and Bridgette chatting happily at one of the tables.

"Oh, hey Owen!" Bridgette said happily, waving to him. She noticed the sad expression on his face and instantly grew concerned, "everything okay?"

"Hey Bridgette," Owen said glumly, "um…actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you…" his eyes zoned in on his target, "Gwen?"

Gwen eyed her long-time friend and noticed his trembling lip and general aura of sadness. "Of course, Owen," she said instantly, her voice warm as she stood up. "I'll see you girls later," she told Bridgette and Sammy. She walked up to Owen and put a hand on his back, leading him out of the Mess Hall.

"I hope he's okay," Sammy said worriedly, eyeing the two retreating finalists, "Owen's so nice."

"He is," Bridgette said, her tone a little glum, "I just think yesterday was a really tough day for him."

* * *

Gwen and Owen walked into the Rec Center and took a seat on one of the couches.

"What's up, Owen?" Gwen asked her friend. "Everything okay?"

Owen heaved a meaty sigh, resting his chubby arms on his knees and staring at the ground. "No, not really," he told her sadly, "I'm feeling pretty lost right now."

"Is it about Izzy?" Gwen asked, remembering her chat with Owen years ago in a hospital in Jamaica.

"That's part of it," Owen confirmed, "but I think I'm more upset about what Noah did."

"Noah?" Gwen repeated, confused, "what did Noah do?"

"Well, there were four of them on the other team last night," Owen explained, "and I know I'm not super great at math, but Zoey couldn't vote. That means Izzy voted for Lightning, cause Noah is her friend, and Lightning obviously voted for Izzy. But Izzy went home, which means Noah voted for her too!" His voice began to tremble, "I just don't know how he could betray me like that."

Gwen blinked, surprised by this information, "wow, I hadn't even realized that," she said slowly.

"What's worse, was that he was telling me how he was going to be a wingman and help me get back together with her! Especially since everyone was saying we kissed!"

"You did kiss," Gwen told him, a small grin on her face, "a lot." Her grin slowly faded, "wait, so you want to get back together with Izzy, for like a real relationship?"

Owen nodded, "I really do," he admitted sadly, "but I'm scared. Scared she won't want me…"

Gwen put a hand on his shoulder, "she'd be crazy not to want you, Owen. You're literally like the best guy ever," she told him warmly. "But what Noah did was seriously uncool."

"It was," Owen said, "and it's gonna take some time to forgive him for that. I think he feels bad…but he still did it. I know she's still here and even on my team, but I can't forget what he did."

"Nor should you," Gwen assured him.

"I just don't know what to do," Owen shuffled his fingers together, "I don't know who to turn to. I thought I could always depend on Noah for anything, but I just feel so lost now. And plus, I was annoying Jasmine earlier, and I don't know what to do about Izzy!"

"Hey hey, relax," Gwen told him soothingly, "look, I don't know what to do about Noah, but I'd love to help you with Izzy."

Owen looked eagerly at Gwen. "You would?!"

Gwen smiled at him, "for sure!"

"That's be _amazing_!" Owen gushed, "what's really been stressing me out is, I don't know if she remembers us kissing, because I don't. If she does remember, she hasn't said anything, which would be a pretty obvious sign she's not interested in anything more serious…"

"Hmm," Gwen tapped her chin thoughtfully, "want me to do some recon for you?"

"Recon?" Owen repeated blankly.

"Yeah, y'know, like talk to her. See if she remembers. She and I have never been super close, but we're friendly enough," Gwen told him, "and tomorrow being a rest day is the perfect time to do it."

Owen looked like Christmas had come early, "You'd do that for me?!"

Gwen laughed, "of course I would! We go way back, you and I," she elbowed him playfully, "we're Total Drama Finalist OG's!"

Owen laughed too, in much better spirits. "That day was one of the greatest days of my life," he admitted happily, "getting to compete against a friend and win it all!"

"Before you blew it and forced us into season after season of hell," Gwen teased him, and Owen chuckled sheepishly, "is there anything else that's been bothering you?"

"Just that and the Noah thing mostly," Owen sighed, "but I have to deal with Noah on my own."

"Alright, well I'll let you know how my talk with Izzy goes," Gwen promised him.

Owen scooted over and wrapped her in a crushing hug, "you're awesome, Gwen! Thank you so much!"

Gwen winced at the pain, but gingerly returned the hug, "No…problem…" she gasped.

* * *

Zoey sat on the Dock, her legs dangling over the edge as she stared out over the setting sun. A sigh escaped her lips. Despite her troubled expression, she was enjoying the serenity of the scene. That was…until someone shattered it.

"Oi!" Called a voice from the start of the Dock. Zoey grimaced as she heard someone clomp up to her and tap her on the shoulder. She turned to look up at the new arrival.

"We need to talk," Jo said.

"Do we?" Zoey questioned, turning back to look at the sunset.

Jo scoffed impatiently, "I have no time for your moody crap, Zoey. I need you to tell me everything that's happened on this team. Start from the beginning."

Zoey eyed Jo suspiciously, "why're you asking me?"

"Because I already asked Noah, and I want to hear your side."

Zoey scowled, "he probably told you I'm a jerk that voted off Sky just to hurt Lightning or something, huh?"

"He said it was a possibility, but wasn't sure," Jo walked up beside the girl and sat herself on the Dock. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her palms, looking bored. "So, you gonna tell me or what? They want me to vote you out tonight, but I wanna make sure I get the full story before I decide."

Zoey gave the jockette a suspicious side-eye, "that seems awfully…fair of you."

"Hey, when have I not been fair?" Jo asked, incredulous and offended. There was silence for a moment, before her indignant expression was replaced by disgruntledness, "don't answer that! Look, either you go home or I force a tie between Lightning and you. Either way, I'm safe, so I'll try and go with what I think is best for my game." She eyed Zoey shrewdly, "if Noah and Lightning are as buddy-buddy as I suspect they are, it's probably better for me to keep you around and have you send Lightning packing, so if we lose again we can annihilate the twerp."

"That does sound nice," Zoey admitted.

"Well then convince me," Jo said pointedly, "I'm listening."

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Fine, well you see, at first…"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.)**

Jo scoffs, smacking her palm with her fist, "I knew there was something about that twerp's story that didn't add up!" A wicked grin forms on her face, "He'll pay for his schemes…_eventually_." She loses a little bit of anger, "I suggested voting for Noah since Zoey could easily crush him, but she's adamant about getting Lightning out of here. Kinda risky if you ask me, but I can't dwell on it. For now, it's time to rid ourselves of one obnoxious musclebrained moron!"

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Zoey.)**

Zoey has her eyes closed and legs crossed in a meditative pose. "It's time," she said calmly. "Time to _win_."

**(End Confessional: Zoey.)**

* * *

The camera cut to the elimination area, where Noah, Zoey, Jo and Lightning sat on their stumps from left to right. Tension was high and tight as the four looked between each other, uneasy and upset.

Chris strolled on screen, tray glistening with three pearly white marshmallows on it. "Alphas, Alphas, Alphas," he tutted, "you guys had such a strong start! What happened?"

"Zoey happened!" Lightning exclaimed, obnoxiously pointing at Zoey, "if it wasn't for her sha-scheming, we'd be a happy team of 5 right now, and neither Shorty _or_ Rodney would've gone home!"

"For the last time," Zoey said through gritted teeth, "it wasn't my idea!"

Chris cackled, tossing the tray from one hand to the other, "Alright, let's get this over with. The first marshmallow of the night goes to…Noah."

Noah nodded solemnly, unaware of the glare he got from Jo. The bookworm caught his marshmallow, but didn't eat it.

"Also safe tonight is…

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Jo!"

"Darn right," Jo grumbled, catching her marshmallow and popping it into her mouth.

Chris turned his attention to the bottom two, "Zoey, Lightning, this is the final marshmallow of the night. One of you is about to get your butt kicked off Total Drama Generations."

"Just give it to Lightning already," Noah rolled his eyes.

Zoey smirked, though it went unnoticed by all.

"The final marshmallow goes to…

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_Neither_ of you!"

"What?" Noah yelped, startled. "What do you mean, _neither_?"

"Yeah, no way you're kicking both of us off!" Lightning exclaimed angrily. "What the heck is going on?"

"Ah-ah-ah, you didn't let me finish!" Chris wagged a finger in their direction, his tone dripping with faux-sweetness. "It goes to neither of you…yet! Because it was a tie!"

Realization washed over Noah and Lightning. The bookworm turned to glare at Jo. "You think I'd be surprised," he told her flatly, "but here I am, decidedly _not_ surprised."

"Bite me," Jo smirked.

"This is perfect!" Lightning grinned, jumping to his feet. Next to him, Zoey rose to her feet, and the quiet confidence she exuded was almost palpable. The jock turned to Zoey, "you're going _down_!"

Zoey quietly removed a hair tie from her wrist and pulled her loose hair into a tight bun. She turned to Chris, "What's the tiebreaker?" She asked coldly.

"Well, I'm glad you asked, Zoey," Chris smiled. Behind him, Chef appeared out of the darkness with a can of white paint and a brush. "Chef here will set up your guys's arena for you, so just give him a minute."

Over with Noah and Jo, the bookworm was shooting side-glares at the jockette, who was pointedly ignoring him. "You just made a big mistake," Noah said out of the side of his mouth.

Jo just scoffed, "I really didn't, dork."

"You can ignore Lightning all you want," Lightning continued to tell Zoey, "but it ain't gonna change the fact that whatever the tiebreaker is, he'll sha-smoke ya!"

"We'll see," was all Zoey said in response.

Meanwhile, Chef was painting white lines on the ground. Well, it was less lines and more one big circle that spanned about twenty-five feet. He also put a white dot in the middle of the circle. Satisfied with his job, he chucked the paint can over his shoulder.

"Alright, here's the deal," Chris told Zoey and Lightning, "you guys are going to be playing a good old fashioned game of…Sumo!" He looked expectantly at them, but the two campers just looked confused. "You guys don't know what Sumo is?"

The two shook their heads, and Chris sighed. "Fine, I guess I have to explain. Luckily, it's very simple." He pointed at the circle, "you guys both start on that white dot in the middle of the circle. First person to shove the other person out of the line wins the tiebreaker and gets to stay."

Noah breathed a sigh of relief and Lightning let out a victorious whoop, kissing both of his biceps.

Zoey, however, looked undeterred. She simply walked over to the circle and stood on the white dot.

"Alright, there's no rules in Sumo, so anything goes," Chris said, pulling a whistle out of his pocket and placing it to his lips, "the only goal," he continued around the whistle, "is to get your opponent out of the circle."

The firelight flickered around the dark campsite, radiating light off of Jo and Noah's anxious faces as they watched Lightning and Zoey square up to each other. The jock was the very picture of confidence, shoulders back and arms crossed over his chest. Zoey was calm and collected, stretching out her arms and glaring at Lightning with unwavering determination.

"Ready…" Chris began, "set…"

Zoey shot Lightning a feral grin, taking the boy aback.

"Go!"

Still unnerved, Lightning made a quick grab for Zoey but she ducked, diving at his legs. The two hit the ground, still close to the center of the circle, and began to wrestle with one another.

"C'mon, Zoey!" Jo called from the sides, "kick his ass!"

The two continued to tussle until Lightning was able to use his brute strength to push her off of him. He pushed himself to his feet with remarkable speed and grabbed the still prone girl by an arm and a leg. He hoisted her up and began to carry her to the side of the circle.

Zoey squirmed and kicked, eventually deciding to plant her foot into the side of Lightning's face. The jock recoiled in pain and surprise, dropping Zoey messily onto the dirt. She dashed to her feet and delivered a sucker punch to Lightning's gut.

"Ow!" Lightning said, backing up as Zoey advanced, "hey, that's a cheap shot! No fair!"

"There are no rules!" Zoey snapped, "the only rule is that you're gonna be out of here!" She dashed forward again, aiming a kick at Lightning's gut, hoping to push him further back towards the end of the ring.

Lightning was incredibly fast, though, and caught the kick. He yanked on her leg, bringing her closer and throwing her off balance, before reversing his momentum and shoving Zoey's leg away from him. The surprised redhead flew backwards, but managed to land on her hands and spring back to her feet in one fluid motion.

"This is no time to fight clean, Lightning!" Noah spoke up, nervousness creeping into his voice, "just take her down already!"

Lightning stepped back, dodging punches and kicks from Zoey and parrying when necessary. His face was unsure, and it was obvious from his body language that he was hesitant about hitting a girl.

"I'll only warn you once," Zoey panted, taking a step back to rest momentarily, "you better take me seriously if you want any chance of not walking this Dock in the next ten minutes."

Lightning sighed, "he was raised not to hit girls, no matter how schemy or mean they might be!"

Zoey scoffed, "welcome to the real world!" She darted forward again, swinging a vicious kick at Lightning's legs. The jock was able to leap back, but was surprised when Zoey left the ground in a full body tackle, smashing him to the ground while he was off balance from the leap.

Lightning grunted, thrusting his hips up and sending Zoey sailing over him, dangerously close to the edge of the line. The girl rolled to the side just barely as Lightning's foot whistled by her face, his kick having attempted to knock Zoey out of the circle.

Zoey sprung to her feet, jogging backwards towards the center. "You finally got take this seriously?" She challenged him.

Lightning took a deep breath, calming himself down. He wasn't used to anyone _ever_ getting one-up on him physically, so Zoey's few strikes and taken him by surprise and started to annoy him. His face was now stony serious, and he chose not to respond to Zoey's taunt. Instead, he set his stance and held his hands up in front of his face, palms open and facing Zoey.

The camera cut to both of their eyes as they narrowed at each other, and a gritty melody began to play as they charged at one another.

They both let out pained grunts as they collided. Lightning had opted to go shoulder first, football style, and Zoey ate the impact full on her chest. Cleverly, she had opted to hold onto Lightning's jersey. This resulted in her remaining close enough to raise her foot, driving it directly between Lightning's legs.

Lightning screamed in pain, stumbling back and dropping to his knees. His hands instinctively lowered to protect his assaulted crotch, and Zoey used him dropping his guard to her advantage, winding up a vicious right hook and colliding her knuckles right into the side of his face. Lightning's scream of pain was cut short as he fell onto his side, dazed and woozy.

"Ooh, and Zoey delivers a _vicious_ one-two combo on Lightning!" Chris narrated, entranced by the fight in front of him, "but he's still in the ring, so he's not out yet!"

Zoey took a step back and wiped her sweaty brow, observing the collapsed and shaky Lightning. She bent down to grab him by the back of his jersey, but the jock was still coherent enough to push out at her. She stumbled back and let out a huff of frustration. She attempted again, but was met with the same result.

"He's down!" Zoey told Chris impatiently, "that should be enough!"

"One rule," Chris said simply, "get him out of the circle, and you win."

Zoey rolled her eyes and approached Lightning again. The beaten down jock was slowly starting to recover, but Zoey had a plan to stop that. She used her foot to roll him off his side and onto his back. She sat heavily on his abdomen, making him yelp and cough. She leaned forward, beginning to apply pressure to his throat.

"Relax," Zoey grunted as Lightning began to thrash and squirm, "you're just gonna take a little nap so I can get you out of the ring."

The dramatic music began to swell as Lightning became more and more desperate to get out of Zoey's grasp. He pried at her arms, but his weakened state prevented him from removing her. The more oxygen he lost, the weaker he became, so it all began to spiral downhill for him.

Zoey stared down into his face as he struggled and choked. She felt his arms finally leave hers and thump to the dirt. Just as the boy was about to completely lose consciousness, the steel in her eyes began to fade. She let out a gasp and quickly released her hands, bringing them close to her chest.

Lightning coughed thickly, and Zoey quickly climbed off of him. The jock rolled over onto all fours and coughed and gagged. Zoey, meanwhile, stared down at him, in horror of what she had just done. "No…" she whispered, her hands clasped tightly together, as if she were afraid they would reach again for the boys neck if they weren't restraining each other.

"What are you doing, Zoey?!" Jo yelled, standing up, "get him out of the ring!"

But her words fell on deaf ears. Zoey was too mortified at her own actions to do anything as Lightning slowly hoisted himself to his feet, gingerly rubbing at his slightly swollen throat. "You're gonna pay for that," he rasped.

"I'm sorry, Lightning," Zoey began to apologize, all signs of Commando Zoey gone, "I don't want that part of me to have all the control, I-" She was cut off as Lightning shoulder tackled her to the ground. She cried out in pain as she hit the dirt. She looked up at him as he towered over her. His vice-like grip caught her upper arm, and he began to drag her towards the edge of the circle.

Zoey tugged on her arm, trying to break free, but it was pretty clear she had lost most of her fight. Unshed tears of shame glistened in her eyes as she allowed herself to be dragged to the edge.

With a face that was completely remorse-free, Lightning hurled the girl unceremoniously out of the circle.

Chris clapped his hands, "and that does it! Lightning wins the tiebreaker, and Zoey is eliminated!"

Noah let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in, and Jo slapped her face and groaned.

Lightning turned his back on Zoey without a word, and limped over to his stump. He sat back down, eyes glued to the floor as he continued to rub his sore throat.

Chef returned with Zoey's luggage. The eliminated girl had managed to pull herself together, but her eyes were still wet as she accepted her suitcases. Without another word to her team, she turned her back on the island, and began her walk down the Dock of Shame.

The campsite was eerily silent as the three remaining members of Team Alpha watched her climb onto the Boat. Chef joined and revved the engine, and the Boat sped out of sight.

"Well," Chris finally broke the tension, "that was intense. Lightning, you okay? Do you need to see the camp doctor?"

Lightning shook his head, upset with how sour this so-called victory tasted. "He's fine," he grumbled, "he just needs to sleep it off."

"Whatever you say," Chris shot the jock finger guns, "welp, I'm done with you guys here. You're free to go."

Lightning was the first to get up, and quickly made his way towards the bathrooms. Noah made to follow, but he was yanked back down onto the stump by Jo.

"Do you mind?" He asked, annoyed.

"You're messed up, dude." Jo told him seriously, letting go of his shoulder. "All that crap that just happened," she gestured to the now empty ring, "that's 100% because of you."

Noah's stomach twisted guiltily, but he didn't let it show on his face, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jo scoffed, standing up, "sure you do. You're a piece of crap for that, and that _means_ something coming from me." She turned her back on the bookworm, and left.

Noah remained by himself for a little while, sitting on his stump and staring into the fire. Eventually, he heaved a sigh and got to his feet, letting the guilt slide off his face to be replaced by his usual apathy.

Chris turned to the camera after Noah left, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Wow! Wow, wow, wow! What a night, what a tie breaker! Is Team Alpha doomed to become the next Team Victory after this catastrophic event, or will they be able to pull themselves together? Will Owen finally be able to get back with Izzy? And what's going on with Team Nuclear? Find out right here, next time, on Total!" The camera panned out, "Drama! Generations!"

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

Now alone, Zoey let the tears roll down her cheeks. She sat on one of the benches of the boat, knees tucked up to her chin and arms wrapped around her legs. Her bun had fallen out, and her long hair was free and messy. She was silent as the boat sped through the night bar the occasional sniffle.

Eventually, the Boat ground to a halt in front of the Playa, and a surprised Zoey looked up at the gorgeous, lit up resort. Laughs and shrieks could be heard in the distance. A shadow loomed over her, and she turned to see Chef standing over her, crossing his arms. After a moments consideration, he sat down on the bench next to her, and it creaked under his weight. "You okay?" He asked her gruffly.

Zoey wiped her eyes, "I guess," she hiccuped, "I'm kind of relieved to be gone, so I don't have to deal with any of it anymore."

"Mmm," Chef stared up at the resort, "well, if you want my two cents, it took way more strength to keep yourself from choking that boy out than it would've to win that tiebreaker," he said, standing up, "now come on, get your crap and get off my boat!"

Zoey stared at him, surprised and comforted by his kind words. "Thanks, Chef," she told him.

Chef just hemmed and hawed, and sped off quickly once she left the boat.

Zoey looked back up at the Playa, drying her eyes one final time. A voice surprised her.

"Zoey!"

She turned to see Brick and Anne Maria walking towards her. At first they were happy to see her, but when they took in her tear-stained face and messy hair, they quickly grew concerned.

"Hey guys," Zoey sniffled, offering them a weak smile.

"Ssh, doll," Anne Maria said, wrapping a comforting arm around the girl, "c'mon, let's get ya settled in."

* * *

**Voting Confessionals: **

Jo: I vote for Lightning! Noah tried to trick me, but I'm too smart for that!

Lightning: See ya later, Zoey!

Noah: I vote for Zoey. Hopefully this headache will all be over soon.

Zoey: I vote for Lightning. He's going _down_.

* * *

**Votes:**

_Zoey - 2 votes: (Lightning, Noah) [Lost tiebreaker]. _

_Lightning - 2 votes: (Jo, Zoey) [Won tiebreaker]._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Lightning, Noah, Jo.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Owen, Izzy.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Sammy, Beardo, Bridgette.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky, Rodney, Zoey. **

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

Alright, I don't know how this elimination will be received. Zoey was a bit of a red herring in the sense that I kind of built her up for a good bit only to have her be around for one episode before getting eliminated. I seriously considered axing Lightning here instead of Zoey, and letting Commando Zoey wreak havoc for a little while, but ultimately decieded that the potential plotlines I have for Lightning work way better for the story than Zoey's. _Rest assured, she has plenty more plot with Sky, which will be explored in the next Aftermath. Lightning too, if he's eliminated before the next one._

I hope you guys don't think her tie-breaker loss was a cop-out, because it isn't. She was able to use her own strength to stop herself, and I think that takes more strength than just simply beating Lightning would've. Once Zoey's resolve was broken, she was no match for the spurned and angry Lightning. Zoey was super fun to write in this story, and I enjoyed her way more than I thought I would. Fun fact: In the first draft of this story, she never went Commando, and made it to the Final Four!

* * *

_**A/N - TIMESTAMP: 6ish hours after original posting: **_

**Hey guys. It was brought to my attention that the Zoey/Lightning fight climax has some...similarities to a recent horrific event that happened in the US. I just want to reiterate that any similarities are completely unintentional, and I wasn't even thinking about that tragedy when writing the scene. The idea for Zoey and Lightning's choke out end to their fight has been in the works for months. Thank you for understanding :).**

* * *

**Welp, Team Alpha should basically be Team Nuclear at this point. They're a disaster. How'd you guys enjoy the chapter? I had fun writing the challenge and I also like writing Duncan and Bridgette together. I also have a serious fondness for the Owen and Gwen scene, as I adore their friendship. I hope I was able nail Commando Zoey, as I wanted her to be cold and distant but not a complete jerk or sadist or anything. **

**Next chapter is a rest day! It will be more light hearted than the past couple of chapters, but not nearly as fluffy as the first one, considering all thats happened since they played Truth or Dare.**

**Let me know in a review who you think will suffer the next elimination, and if you enjoyed the chapter! Catch you guys next time! **


	12. Read 'em and Weep!

**Alright guys, time for Rest Day #2! Not much to say on it, just that I hope you all enjoy it! **

_**Insert once per chapter reminder to vote on the poll for which member of the Peanut Gallery you want to return at the merge. First place in the poll gets brought into the game! **_

* * *

Each and every one of the twelve remaining campers took advantage of the second Rest Day by sleeping in. Even typical early risers, like Shawn and Jasmine, lounged in bed for a little while once awake.

The weather was impeccable. Only a few clouds dotted the bright blue sky and a warm breeze swirled through the camp. The tension that had been plaguing the island had received a hefty lift when Zoey had walked the Dock of Shame the previous night. Lightning finally believed he was victorious, and had properly avenged his eliminated girlfriend. Little did he know that the cause of his girlfriend's elimination was the person he trusted most.

The first person to emerge from their trailer was a drowsy Bridgette, who let out a loud yawn as she made her way to the bathroom. Jasmine and Jo were right behind her. Inside the trailer, the rest of the girls were working on getting ready for the day.

"I still can't believe Zoey is gone," Gwen said sadly. The goth was still lounging in her single bed, huddled under the covers as she tried to wake herself up.

Sammy, who was fully dressed and ready for the day, walked up to Gwen and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know she was you friend, Gwen," she told her sympathetically, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Sammy," Gwen said with a small smile, "at least she's off that team full of jerks."

"Aw, c'mon! They're not that bad," Izzy chirped, somehow appearing from under Gwen's bed. "Hey, you're so lucky you don't have to have a bunk bed!"

"Uh...so not trying to be mean here," Sammy said nervously, "but didn't Team Alpha vote you out?"

Izzy nodded happily, "uh-huh!"

"But…oh, never mind," Sammy sighed, feeling awkward.

Izzy slithered out from under Gwen's bed, covered in dust bunnies. "Oh Samantha…you should know that…" Izzy blinked, as if a thought had just physically struck her, "say…if your name is Samantha, does that mean your sisters name is 'Amantha'? Because that's a cool-ass name!"

"Uhh…no?" Sammy turned to Gwen, looking for help. Gwen just shrugged helplessly at her, and began to bunch up her hair to put it into her messy ponytail.

"Right…well, I'm gonna go get some breakfast," Sammy said quickly.

* * *

"You smell that? It's a beautiful day out!" Lightning said as he leapt from his top bunk and landed on the floor. He stretched his arms out over his head an inhaled deeply. "The birds be chirping, the bunnies be frolicking, and best of all, Zoey be outta here!"

The other boys, minus Shawn, groaned at Lightning's loud tone.

"You should keep it down, man," Shawn scolded quietly as he lounged on his single bed, "the others are trying to sleep."

Lightning blinked. A sheepish look took over his face as he lowered his voice, "Sha-whoops. Sorry about that, dudes!"

"Whatever, man!" Duncan groaned from his bed. The punk had jammed his pillow over his head to try and drown out the voices, so his voice was muffled. "Just shut up!"

Lightning glared at the punk, "Lightning won't let your crabby self ruin his good mood," he retorted, "he's goin' for some breakfast!"

A snoring Owen instantly did a double backflip off his bunk. He landed perfectly on his feet and a triumphant tune played. "Did someone say breakfast?" He asked eagerly.

"Sha-yeah, dude! The Lightning is starving!" Lightning exclaimed, heading for the door.

"The Owen is, too!" Owen agreed. He quickly threw on some clothes and blazed past Lightning, nearly knocking the jock over.

"Hey, watch it!" Lightning yelled, running after Owen. "You ain't beating the Lightning in a race!"

Noah snuggled back under his covers. "Ugh, finally they're gone…back to sleep."

"I dunno about you, but I'm up now," Duncan said. The punk was frowning as he hopped down from his top bunk and began to do some pushups.

"Yeah, it's nearly 10:30," Shawn said, his eyes on the clock above the door to the trailer, "might be time to start moving, guys. The early bird doesn't get eaten by zombies, y'know."

"No one gets eaten by zombies because they _don't exist_." Noah grumbled. Despite his whining, he too began to get ready for the day.

Shawn just sighed, used to skeptics like Noah. "I just feel sorry for you guys, man," the nut told him as he quickly leapt up and scurried to the window. His eyes darted from side to side as he looked around outside, "you might like living a life of ignorance, but one day you'll see…you'll all see!"

"It almost sounds like you _want_ civilization to crumble," Duncan pointed out. The punk was finished with his pushups and was now dressing himself.

"Nuh-uh," Shawn shook his head, "I dread the day the undead take over the world. But I know its coming. Sure, it might not be in my lifetime, but you can never be too prepared!"

Beardo let out a loud yawn as he rose from his bed. He absentmindedly whistled some classical music as he slid off his bunk, stumbling a little as he landed. "Morning, guys," he greeted.

"Sup," Duncan greeted.

Shawn offered him a wave from the window, "morning!"

The big beatboxer swung his arms and hips from side to side, enjoying the cracking of his spine, "man, I gotta tell ya," he rasped, "I'm looking forward to a day of R&R."

"Puh, you're telling me," Noah drawled, "none of you guys even had to go through an elimination ceremony since our last rest day…minus the bogus one."

Duncan grinned at him, "Hah! Yeah, you guys have been sucking major balls lately," he erupted into chuckles, "ah, classic."

Noah glared at him.

* * *

Bridgette, Jasmine and Jo were all in the ladies bathrooms. The surfer was brushing her teeth while Jasmine examined her face for blemishes and Jo showered.

Bridgette took the toothbrush out of her mouth and glanced at the preening Jasmine through the mirror. "Y'know," she told her, "I never took you for the preening type."

Jasmine flushed a little, but grinned back at her mirror-self, "yeah, I never was really, until I met Shawn."

"Gag," Jo called from the shower. The other two ignored her.

"I think that's sweet," Bridgette told her, tucking the toothbrush back into her mouth and continuing to scrub away.

Jasmine ceased her careful inspection of herself and grabbed her own toothbrush from her toiletry bag, "Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be caught dead getting all dressed up. But I don't want a glaring red zit on my face if I'm hanging out with him, do I?"

"Definitely not," Bridgette said through a mouthful of toothpaste. She removed the toothbrush and spat into the sink. "When Geoff and I first started going out, I was kind of worried since I wasn't one to really get all glammed up. But Geoff doesn't care about that stuff," a warm smile spread over her face, "he likes me for me."

The sound of running water stopped, and Jo exited the shower. She secured her towel more securely around herself and joined the two ladies at the sinks. "Aww, isn't that adorable?" She mocked.

Bridgette rinsed the toothpaste out of both her mouth and toothbrush. "Just because you're alone," she said defensively as she slid the toothbrush back into her bag, "doesn't mean you have to spit at every couple you see."

Jo just laughed, "please, being single is the best. I'm sure I'll want to get into a relationship with someone someday, but for now?" She flexed her arms, "I'm all about me, Mali-boo-hoo-hoo."

"Mali-boo-hoo-hoo?" Bridgette repeated, looking offended.

"Just ignore her," Jasmine advised her, giving Jo a dirty look, "Shelia's got a chip on her shoulder larger than Capertee Valley."

Both Jo and Bridgette gave her a blank look.

"Capertee Valley? It's Australias biggest canyon."

They shared a confused look.

"Ugh, never mind," Jasmine sighed.

* * *

Owen barreled through the doors of the Mess Hall like a human semi-truck. He skidded to a halt in front of the Chef's counter, surprising an alarmed Chef. "What's for breakfast, Chef?"

Chef narrowed his eyes dangerously at the bubbly boy, "Breakfast ends at 10, tubby! You're late!"

Owen emitted his signature high-pitched gasp, "say it ain't so, Chef! A boy's gotta eat!"

"You eat plenty!" Chef yelled at him, "if ya want food, make it yourself! I'm going on break!" He turned around and headed for the back door of the Mess Hall.

"Wait!" Owen cried, sticking his head through the window separating the eating are and the kitchen, "can we use your ingredients?"

The cook spun on his feet, leveling an atomic-level death stare at the boy, "touch my ingredients, boy," he warned, "and it'll be the _last_ thing you ever do."

Owen gulped as Chef left the building, slamming the door behind him as he did so.

"What's the matter, Fat Guy?" Came a voice from behind him.

Owen whirled around and instantly enveloped a surprised Lightning in a rib-crushing hug. "Oh it's just _terrible_, Lightning! Absolutely terrible?"

Lightning tried to push the bulky boy off him, but was having little success despite his impressive strength. "Dude, get off the Lightning," he grunted, both hands on Owen's face as he tried to get him away.

"But you don't understand?" Owen sobbed, refusing to let go, "Chef said he won't make us breakfast!"

"No breakfast?" Sammy repeated, walking in to the Hall with Gwen, Bridgette and Izzy. The rest of the campers were right behind them. "Seriously?"

Lightning finally succeeded at getting out of Owen's clutches, and Owen turned to the rest of the group. "Yeah! Chef said we were too late, so we're outta luck!"

"Well, okay. We can make our own food, then!" Bridgette suggested.

"Chef _really_ doesn't want us using his ingredients," Owen sighed.

"So? Let's hit the Tuck Shoppe. They've got stuff," Beardo told him. A smile lit up his face, "this could be fun! Let's cook some breakfast!"

"No," Noah said decidedly, "having to put effort into making a meal for yourself when it could be served to you by someone else is not fun."

"Well who's gonna buy the ingredients?" Duncan asked, "I'm outta Bux."

"Me too," Izzy added.

Beardo imitated the noise Pac-Man did when dying, "same here, I'm broke."

"I'll go buy some supplies if I don't have to cook," Noah offered quickly, "I've barely spent any of my Bux."

"Same here," Sammy said.

"Alright, those of you with Bux to spare go get some food," Bridgette told the others. She headed to the back of the Mess Hall and crossed over into the kitchen.

Noah, Sammy, Jo and Shawn headed out to the Tuck Shoppe. The camera followed them as they walked.

"I'm glad I'm part of the buying crew," Shawn admitted, "cooking's not really my speciality…"

"Oh, so there's something you're not an expert on?" Sammy joked, playfully nudging Shawn in the ribs, "I'm shocked!"

Shawn grinned sheepishly, rubbing at his ribs, "well, I can bake pretty well. But other than that? Unless its roasting some game over a spit, I'm not your guy."

Noah snapped his fingers, "darn, here I was just hankering for some good ol' meat-on-a-spit for breakky. There goes my morning."

Shawn and Sammy laughed. Soon enough, the four approached the Tuck Shoppe. The nerdy intern was there reading a magazine, and looked up as they entered.

"Alright," Jo said in her commanding voice, "Noah, grab eggs and bacon. Sammy, you're on juice duty. Shawn and I will try and find something for the main course."

The others didn't look particularly stoked about being bossed around, but no one voiced any complaints.

"Main course, huh?" Shawn said as he pursued the isle, "like what?"

"I dunno, do they have pancake mix or something?" Jo complained, "all thats here is a bunch of junk food!"

Noah joined them, "yeah, this place doesn't have eggs _or_ bacon. This isn't a grocery store."

Jo sighed, but quickly perked up when Shawn whistled.

"I found some pancake mix," Shawn said, pointing to a spot in the isle where a few boxes of mix were seen.

"Cool," Noah said, "let's get outta here."

* * *

The eight campers in the Mess Hall looked towards the door as the four returned.

"Pancake mix, bitches!" Jo called, tossing the boxes onto the Chef's counter. "Get cooking, cause I'm hungry!"

Owen gasped, "Pancakes! No _way_! I love pancakes!"

"We know, big guy," Duncan said, clapping him on the shoulder, "believe me, we know."

"Alright, I'm down to cook, and I know Beardo is too," Bridgette said, still in the kitchen, "any other volunteers?"

"I'll do it!" Owen said happily, "I make a _mean_ pancake!"

"Are you just volunteering bacause you wanna eat all the batter, Big O?" Izzy asked cheerfully, "because I don't think the others would appreciate that!"

"No, honest!" Owen said earnestly, "I'll rock the socks off these cakes, swearzies!"

"I'll help," Sammy said shyly. She set her bottles of juice down and brushed out her blue blouse, "Amy always used to make me cook for her."

"Yay, pancake time!" Izzy cheered, "Izzy can't wait!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.)**

Duncan scoffs, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "If you had told me five seasons ago that I'd be sitting pretty in the Mess Hall while some fat beatboxer, a shy twin, Owen and Bridgette made me _pancakes_…" he trails off, shaking his head, "I woulda knocked your face off!" He holds up a fist for emphasis. "But here we are…"

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

In the kitchen, things were going rather smoothly. Bridgette and Sammy were in charge of making the batter, while Owen and Beardo manned Chef's massive flat-top oven.

"This equipment is pretty legit," Beardo whistled as he examined the oven, "Chef ain't messin' around!"

"You think he'll be mad we're using some of his stuff?" Sammy said, her eyes on the milk, butter, eggs, and other ingredients they had pulled out.

"At this point I could care less," Owen admitted, starry-eyed, "we're gonna have pancakes!"

"Alright! This batch is done," Bridgette said happily. She walked over to the two boys and handed them the bowl full of batter, "it's all you!"

Owen and Beardo each held up a ladle. They glanced at each other and shared a grin.

A flash forward showed the other eight campers sitting quietly, waiting patiently for the food to be ready. Finally, after what seemed like ages to them, Bridgette poked her head through the window separating the kitchen and eating area. "Alright guys, first round is up! Come and get it!"

Everyone excitedly clambered to the counter, starving an ready to dig in. Bridgette began passing out delicious looking pancakes coated in butter and syrup to everyone.

"Man, these look awesome," Shawn moaned as he received his plate. He sucked a bit of drool back into his mouth as he sat back down next to Jasmine.

Everyone began to tuck into breakfast. The cooks emerged from the kitchen with their own plates. Owen and Beardo's pancake stack was comically high, and both had eager smiles on their face as they sat down.

"If there's one thing us big guys know how to do, it's make good food," Beardo chuckled. He plucked a whole pancake from the stack and stuck the entire thing in his mouth.

"You can say that again!" Owen agreed.

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen.) **

Owen has butter and syrup all over his face and hands. "Man, that was delicious," he says with a happy sigh. "I feel so much better than I did yesterday, it's so nice to know that Gwen has my back. I think I can trust her, but…." his face falls, "I also thought I could trust Noah."

**(End Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

The rest of the day continued on in peace. Some campers played video games in the Rec Center, others spent time in nature or in the water, and some caught up on rest after the strenuous challenges they had endured.

One camper in particular had a plan, though. And she waited until after dinner to propose it to everyone.

"Alright, everyone!" Bridgette called out, successfully getting everyone's attention. The surfer put her hands on her hips, her usual laid back smile on her face. "We're playing a game in the Rec Center in twenty minutes. Be there, unless you're chicken!"

"I don't know, Bridgette," Gwen didn't look to convinced, "we've got a challenge tomorrow. This isn't like last time where we had the rest day to recover."

"It's not a drinking game," Bridgette told her and the others, "and besides, it's not late and it won't take long!"

"Alright!" Owen whooped, "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Beardo echoed, looking super excited.

"Alright, I'll see you guys there," Bridgette said mischievously, "I just have to make a quick stop at the Tuck Shoppe."

"Someone should go buy at least a little alcohol," Jo sighed, "lord knows I'm gonna need a drink to stay sane playing some game with you losers."

Twenty minutes later, everyone found themselves entering the Rec Center. Bridgette was there, sitting at the huge circular table. On the table in front of her were three individual playing card decks, all unboxed.

"Oh no!" Duncan smacked his forehead. "I know what this is!"

Bridgette grinned at him, "alright guys, get ready to play…_strip poker_."

The reactions were mixed, to say the least. Some, like Izzy and Lightning, looked unbothered if not excited by the challenge. Others like Beardo and Sammy were looking very nervous.

However, Bridgette was quick to assure them. "No pressure, though. If you want to sit this one out, no one will judge." Her friendly smile quickly turned into a confident grin, "but if you think you can take me on, have a seat."

Owen, Izzy, Lightning, Shawn and Jasmine quickly took a seat around the large table. After a few seconds of consideration, Duncan, Gwen and Jo sat down too.

Noah, Beardo and Sammy were left standing.

"I've been humiliated enough on this show," Noah said dully, "the last thing I need is to be seen in my skivvies playing cards."

"Oh come on, Noah!" Izzy said jovially, "it'll be fun! Besides, it'll be good quality entertainment for Emma!"

Beardo gulped, but eventually sat down. "Let's do it!" He said, "I may be a little self-conscious, but that's not gonna stop me from having fun!"

Sammy looked at Beardo, emboldened by his words, "y'know what, me too!" She also sat down.

Now Noah was the only one standing.

"C'mon, mate," Jasmine told him, "you can't be the _only_ one that doesn't play."

Noah rolled his eyes, "ugh, _fine_. Peer pressure me into playing, why don't you?" He took the final seat, completing the circle.

Bridgette grabbed the three decks and shuffled them together, expertly manipulating the cards.

"Wow, who knew you were a card shark?" Jo asked, slightly impressed.

Bridgette's confident grin remained plastered on her face, "oh, I've always had a special fondness for poker," she told the group nonchalantly.

"You guys better prepare yourself," Gwen warned, "Bridgette doesn't mess around when she plays poker. She gets _real_ cutthroat."

"Her, cutthroat?" Lightning asked, pointing at the still shuffling Bridgette. An innocent tune played in the background as the camera focused on the surfer, "Lightning just don't see it! She's the nicest person here!"

"Aw, thanks Lightning," Bridgette smiled, the innocent tune continuing to play. She began to deal five cards to all the players with ridiculous speed and precision, shocking all the others as they found the cards perfectly placed in front of them. The innocent tune shattered and was replaced by something more ominous as her grin grew wider, "this is gonna be fun!"

Jo reached under the table and pulled out a six-pack of beer. She grabbed one and popped the top. "So, what are the rules?"

"The rules are simple," Bridgette said, finishing up the dealing of the cards. "Five card draw, I trust everyone knows how that works?" Everyone nodded or voiced their confirmation, so she continued, "Two folds equals a piece of clothing gone because we can't have everyone just folding willy-nilly with no punishment. The winner of each hand picks one person to lose an additional piece of clothing. Once you're down to your underwear and lose again, you're out. Last person standing wins it all."

"Wins what, exactly?" Shawn asked, "is there some sort of prize?"

Bridgette shrugged, "I dunno, bragging rights?"

Jo crushed down her beer in one gulp and aimed across the Rec Center, hurling the bottle into the recycling with pinpoint accuracy. She popped the top of another and grinned, "good enough for me."

"Alright, everyone look at your cards," Bridgette said, picking up the cards and holding them close to her chest, "you can trade in a maximum of three cards."

Everyone either kept their cards or grabbed some new ones.

"How about we make an interesting rule, since we're using three decks," Izzy suggested, "if someone gets a 5 of a kind they get to force everyone to take a piece of clothing off!"

"Ooh, interesting!" Owen chuckled, "great idea, Izzy!"

"Fine by me," Bridgette said. "Now, who's in, and who's out? I'm staying in."

"I'm out," Shawn said instantly, folding his cards down. "I got some hot garbage."

"Me too," Sammy said nervously, also putting her cards on the table.

"Y'know what, I think I'm in," Beardo rasped.

"So am I!" Izzy hooted.

"The Lightning _never_ backs down!" Lightning proclaimed, "he's all in!"

"If that's your attitude, you ain't gonna last long, pal." Duncan told him snidely, "but I'm in too."

Jasmine looked a little conflicted, but was ultimately in as well. Shawn took a peak at her cards, since he was already out, and winced.

Noah reluctantly was in. Owen folded, though he looked disappointed that he had to do so. Jo folded as well, annoyed.

"I'm in," Gwen said, shooting a competitive smirk at Bridgette. "Alright Bridgette, reveal your cards."

"Not yet," Bridgette said, "the dealer switches each hand, but the dealer has the power to call 'double down' if they want to! That gives everyone an extra chance to fold! Anyone who doesn't fold and still loses takes two pieces of clothing off!"

"Put your cards down, babe," Shawn said out of the side of his mouth. A sad Jasmine complied.

"Lightning still ain't backing down," Lightning said, "he's in!"

Noah put his cards down. "Nope, I'm out."

"You aren't gonna get be to back off _that_ easy, sweetheart," Duncan smirked. "I'm in as well."

"Me too," Gwen agreed.

Beardo shook his head, "y'all are too rich for my blood."

"Not for me. Izzy has blood to spare!" Izzy hooted, drumming the fingers of one of her hands on table. "Now reveal your cards!"

"Sha-bam!" Lightning threw his cards on the table, "eat this! Lightning has a two, and a seven, and a four, and a Jack, and an Ace!"

The table went quiet.

"Well, what does Lightning win?" The jock asked the group.

"Nothing," Duncan said bluntly, "because I've got three sevens!" He threw his cards on the table, daring anyone else to have a better hand than him.

"Aw, this is bull!" Lightning whined.

"Damn!" Gwen cursed, throwing her cards down, "I had three fours."

"Not enough, though!" Izzy hooted, "I've got a full house!" She threw down her cards; three sixes and two queens.

Duncan groaned, and everyone turned to Bridgette. The surfer smirked and dropped her cards on the table. "Four of a kind," she boasted, "read 'em and weep!"

Everyone gasped.

"That's right," the surfer continued, clapping her hands together, "you guys gotta strip!"

Duncan scoffed and took off both of his shoes. Everyone else that lost also discarded their shoes.

"This is Miami all over again," Duncan grumbled. Bridgette gave an impish giggle.

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"As the game continued, I saw a side of Bridgette I didn't know existed," Gwen says, eyes wide. "She was like an animal! I've never seen such pure ferocity before!"

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

An hour and a half later, things had gotten rather chaotic.

Noah, Jasmine, Lightning, Sammy and Izzy had all stripped to their undies and gotten out of the game. They had all gotten rather invested in seeing who would win, though, and remained in the Rec Center re-dressed. All five watched each round with baited breath, waiting to see who would be next out of the game.

Duncan was hanging on by a thread. The punk still had his pants and his collar on, but that was it.

Owen fas on the thinnest ice imaginable. In just his underwear but not quite out, all it would take was one fold before the fat boy was gone.

Gwen was doing a little better. The goth's legs were bare save for her underwear, but her entire top half was covered.

Beardo was sweating, but not from the heat. He was down to just his suspenders and underpants. The game had been stressful for the poor beatboxer.

Jo had discarded her shoes, socks and grey tracksuit. She had on her boy shorts and sports bra, and was glowering at how poorly she was doing.

Bridgette had lost only one sock and one shoe. She was currently staring cooly at what she deemed her only competition.

"My, my, Shawn," Bridgette said placidly, expertly shuffling the cards around, "is there anything you _aren't_ good at?"

Shawn stared back, a confident smirk on his face. The zombie nut had lost both of his shoes and both of his socks, but was otherwise fully clothed. Considering he had a lot more pieces of clothing on than the others to begin with, he was at a definite advantage over everyone.

"Not much," Shawn bragged in response to Bridgette's question. "Though I will say I'm pretty bad at getting eaten by zombies."

"You get 'em, babe!" Jasmine cheered. Sammy giggled at her friends enthusiasm.

The table they were playing cards out was now full of empty peer cans and plastic cups, too. Everyone had a healthy buzz going and was ready for the next hand to be dealt.

Once Bridgette had thrown out the cards, everyone grabbed the hand and looked at what they had to work with.

"Gimme three cards," Owen said quickly, tossing three of his own into the discard pile.

Duncan winced at his crappy hand, "yeah, me too," he said.

"I'm all good," Shawn said confidently, causing Bridgette to eye him with suspicion. The surfer took two cards for herself, keeping an expert poker face when she saw what her hand was now.

Gwen, Beardo and Jo all grabbed three cards as well. It was time for Bridgette the dealer to start the war.

"I'm in," she said.

"Me too," Owen said, his tone nervous.

"I'm _so_ in!" Shawn whooped.

"I'm out," Duncan drawled, his tone annoyed.

"Ugh, me too." Jo threw her cards on the table, "this game _sucks_."

Beardo gulped, eyeing both his cards and the others at the table. "I'm out," he finally said, throwing his cards down.

Gwen was the last to decide. "I'm in," she told them with little hesitation.

Duncan and Beardo exchanged a knowing look, "here comes the double down," Duncan muttered.

Beardo whistled a few notes, mimicking the classic "dun…dun…dun…" from many a movie.

"Alright, well I'm doubling down," Sure enough, Bridgette took the risk to the next level. She was in a deadlocked stare with Shawn, both trying to read the others' minds.

"Well I'm in, at this point I don't have a choice since if I fold, I lose my underpants and I'm out," Owen said, not inspiring a lot of confidence as he heaved a great sigh.

"I'm still in, you're not getting me to back down," Shawn told Bridgette.

"Me too," Gwen added, "reveal your cards!"

Bridgette threw down her cards, "I have a straight!"

Gwen gasped, revealing three Kings. "Oh man, I thought this would be enough!" She groaned.

"You're outta here!" Duncan called in a tone similar to a baseball announcer. Beardo hummed a couple bars of the classic 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' and two shared a laugh.

The goth rolled her eyes, a dry smile on her face. It was true, after all. With just her shirt on other than her underwear, the goth was out of things to strip. She grabbed her discarded skirt and leggings and put them back on. Once back to being fully clothed, she grabbed her beer bottle and toasted the remaining campers. "I wish you luck," she said.

Bridgette, Shawn and Owen returned to their hand.

"Well, Bridgette," Shawn said cockily, "you may have a straight but I have…a flush!" He threw down his cards: A six, an eight, a nine, a Jack and an Ace all in the Club suit.

Bridgette thumped her fist down on the table, "Damnnit! I thought you might have been bluffing when you didn't take any cards…I should've known."

"Looks like I win this time," Shawn chuckled.

"_Now wait just one goddamn minute_!"

Both Bridgette and Shawn whipped their heads to look at Owen, who was using his cards to cover his face. His other hand was extended and then brought back to lightly touch his face as he looked sideways at the two other players. His pose screamed classic anime villain as he smirked.

"It couldn't be," Shawn whispered in awe.

"You fools," Owen muttered, "counting me out right from the start…but now? Now?! It has come back to haunt you!" He tilted his head slightly towards them, his expression dull and aloof. "For now, you shall pay the ultimate penance!" He took a deep breath and _slammed_ his cards down on the table. "Behold, your destruction!" He screamed.

There, on the table, was a full house.

"Noooo!" Shawn howled, tumbling backwards for his chair and onto the ground. Owen erupted into evil laughter as the rest of the campers burst into cheers and whistles.

Izzy wiped a way a tear from her eyes, "that was so beautiful," she sighed, "but I gotta go to the bathroom!"

"Oh, me too!" Gwen said quickly, following the crazy redhead out into the night. The two left the sound of laughter and shouting behind them and headed towards the bathrooms in silence. "So, Izzy," Gwen said as the two walked, "I actually wanted to talk to you."

"Oh?" Izzy skipped along the dirt path, not paying Gwen much mind as the bathrooms got ever closer, "about what?"

"Well, it's actually about the last rest day," Gwen said. The two reached the doors and Izzy entered first, holding the door for Gwen. The goth nodded in thanks and the two entered separate stalls.

"What about the rest day?" Izzy asked. Her voice echoed goofily off the walls of the bathroom.

Gwen finished her business and flushed, emerging back into the main restroom and beginning to wash her hands. She turned on the tap, letting the water flow over her fingers. "Well, you said you don't remember much about it, right?"

Izzy emerged too, walking on her hands. "That's right, Izzy went a little too ham on the vodka."

"Right, I think a bunch of us did," Gwen agreed, "so I don't know if anyone has told you this, but you and Owen _totally_ made out that night."

Izzy slipped on the tile floor, losing one of her hands and crashing to the ground. She popped back up, surprised. "We did _what_?!"

Gwen couldn't help the dry chuckle that spilled from her lips. She finished up washing her hand and shook them off, opting to let them air-dry. "Yeah, you guys were swapping spit big time."

Izzy's surprise slowly melted off her face. "Wow," she said, leaning against one of the sinks. "That's…wow. I'm surprised he hasn't said anything."

"Apparently he didn't remember at first too," Gwen shrugged, "but I just figured you ought to know, since it doesn't seem like you did."

"Did he talk to you about it?" Izzy asked, her normally zany attitude much more serious than usual.

Gwen nodded, "he wasn't sure what to do," a sly grin crept onto her face, "he's crushing on you big time. Old habits die heard, I guess."

"Aww, that is so cute!" Izzy cooed.

"It is," Gwen agreed, "anyways, I just wanted to get you in the know about it."

"He put you up to this, didn't he?"

"Maybe…"

The two exited the bathrooms and began walking back towards the Rec Center.

"Well," the goth continued, "whatever you decide, just go easy on him, okay? He's in a tough spot right now."

"It's because of Noah, isn't it?" Izzy asked, surprising the goth.

"Yeah, actually. Wow, you're pretty intuitive, huh?"

Izzy grinned at her, "one of my many specialties, Gwennie."

The two continued the rest of their walk in silence. When they re-entered the Mess Hall, they were shocked to see that the game had progressed rapidly without them.

Shawn and Bridgette were now down to their underpants. Duncan, Beardo and Jo were long eliminated. Owen was still there in his underpants, giggling to himself.

"Whoa," Gwen remarked dryly, standing next to Duncan and Sammy. "What the hell happened while we were gone?"

"Owen's on a hot streak," Duncan laughed, "the guy has won four in a row. Bridgette and Shawn are _fuming_."

It was true. Both Bridgette and Shawn were incredibly flustered as Shawn dealt the final hand.

"Bring it on, peons!" Owen hooted, "bow before your master!"

The three picked up their cards, glaring at one another as they debated on what they should do.

"I'll take three!" Shawn cried, tossing the cards down.

"Two for me, fools!" Owen muttered, once again edgy.

"I'll just take one." Bridgette announced, picking up one card. "There's no point in doubling down, so reveal your cards!"

Shawn tossed his onto the table. "Three tens! It's the best I could come up with!"

Owen and Bridgette eyed each other, their poker faces perfect. Neither could read the other. It was all a matter of who cracked first. Unsurprisingly, it was Owen. He threw his cards on the table and heaved a great sob. "I got nothing! Diddly squat! Oh, the shame!" He broke down into his hands, meaty sobs coming from behind his fists.

Both Shawn and Bridgette ignored him. They had bigger fish to fry.

"Well, Bridgette?" Shawn requested of the stony-faced surfer, "show 'em."

"Oh, I'll show 'em," Bridgette said. "Read 'em." She threw her cards down, and broke out into a broad grin, "read 'em and _weep_!"

She had a diamond flush.

The cabin broke out into raucous cheers. Shawn thumped his head onto the table and was immediately consoled by Jasmine and Sammy. Owen continued to sob messily into his hands, but a crowd of Duncan, Beardo, Gwen and Izzy went over to comfort and congratulate his attempt. Bridgette pumped her fists in victory but otherwise was a pretty good sport about it.

"You did great, big guy!" Duncan assured his friend, "I can't believe you had them on the ropes like that."

Izzy gave him a big hug, "yeah, you're the man, Owen!" Next to her, Gwen put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a knowing smile.

Shawn lifted his head off the table and offered a grudging smile Bridgette's way. "Good game," he told her, "you're scary when you play poker."

Bridgette flushed a little, but smiled back. "So I've been told," she admitted, a little sheepish. "I guess I just get way too into it."

"Don't apologize!" Gwen assured her, "you don't have to be sorry for kicking butt!"

"True that," Jasmine agreed, smiling.

Jo was the first one to stop cheering. "Well, this has been a blast and all," she said, eyeing the clock on the wall. "But it's getting late, and I wanna be fully rested for tomorrow." She glared at Noah and Lightning, "and make sure everyone pulls their weight."

With those simple sentences, the reality of the competition came crashing back to the twelve campers. The mood sobered up quickly, and people began to disperse from the Rec Center.

Shawn and Jasmine were the first to leave, agreeing with Jo about being well rested for the game. Noah and Lightning followed suit, both glaring at Jo as they left. Jo seemed unbothered, and bid a brusque goodbye to the others before heading out too.

That left Team Nuclear and Izzy and Owen in the Rec Center.

"Well," Izzy said with a grin, "those guys did a good job of getting out without having to clean up!" She waved her hand at the cards scattered everywhere and the empty cans and bottles. "And on that note, you and I need to have a chat, Big O!" She grabbed Owen's arm and began dragging him out of the Rec Center, "a strategical one!"

"Yeah, get it, big guy!" Duncan whooped, only to be smacked on the back of the head by Gwen. He rubbed the back of his head with a smirk. "Alright, I probably deserved that."

"Probably?" Sammy giggled, beginning to collect all the garbage from the table.

Duncan rolled his eyes at the twin but didn't respond.

"Alright, I don't know about you guys," Bridgette said, "but as the champ, I'm abstained from having to clean up."

"Oh that's rich," Gwen snorted, "did you just come up with that?"

"Maybe," Bridgette grinned. "And as Poker Queen I declare Gwen doesn't have to help me. We're gonna go ready up for bed."

"What!" The other three exclaimed.

"They're right," Gwen said with a smirk, "that's unfair. Sammy, come with us. We'll let you two have a little boys night while you clean up."

Sammy giggled and waved to the two boys as she joined Bridgette and Gwen. The three left.

Duncan rolled his eyes, and Beardo let out the classic trumpet sad tune as they were left alone.

"Well ain't that a bitch," Duncan sighed, turning around to stare at the messy, cluttered table. He looked at Beardo, "I'll get the cards if you get the trash?"

Beardo gave him a thumbs up and _ding-dinged_ at him, and the two got to work.

"So, I gotta ask, man," Duncan said as he picked up cards and made sure they all stacked properly with each other, "whats your story? Is Beardo your name or what? And what's with the sound effects?"

Beardo chuckled dryly. "I'm surprised it took you so long to ask, man." He began scooping up bottles and cans from the table. "Beardo is just my DJ name. As for the sound effects, it just comes from a long past of insecurity. I'm tryna work through it, though. My girlfriend has been a huge help."

"You've got a girlfriend?!" Duncan's eyebrows rose, genuinely surprised. He winced at his wording, "uh, that came out ruder than I meant it to…"

Beardo just waved his sorta-apology away. "I get it, I get it," he admitted, "people look at me and don't think they'd have some buxom blonde as their girlfriend."

"A buxom blonde!" Duncan slapped his forehead with his palm. He couldn't help himself. "You got a pic, man?"

Beardo chuckled and fumbled in his back pocket for his wallet. He opened it up and pulled out a worn photograph and handed it out for Duncan to take. Duncan took the couple of steps needed towards Beardo and took the photo. He glanced down at it.

The photo showed Beardo and a lovely looking blonde girl with emerald green eyes on a beach. Beardo was shirtless and the girl was wearing a two-piece pink bikini. Beardo was taking the selfie and the two had their cheeks mashed together as they beamed at the camera. The girl was rather…well endowed.

Duncan let out a low whistle. "Damn, she's a babe, dude," he admitted.

Beardo took the photo back with a goofy grin. "Yeah, Rebecca is a hottie," he said fondly. "No idea what she saw in me, but I ain't complaining!"

"How'd you two meet?" Duncan asked, continuing to stack up the cards.

"She and I knew each other since freshman year of high school," Beardo explained, "but we didn't talk much until a couple of months before I left for Pahkitew Island. We were friendly, I guess, but I was still so nervous about talking to people. I thought she just found my noises funny and that's why she kept me around." He chuckled again, "but after I came back from Pahkitew, most of my high school thought I was a total joke! Some of them, though, wanted to help me with my anxiety. Rebecca was one of them. She and I were just friends until senior year, and then she asked me to go to prom with her. I was totally shocked, y'know? I never thought I'd get to go to prom because I would never have had the courage to ask someone."

Duncan nodded, trying to look manly but no doubt enjoying the sweet story being told to him.

"We kissed that night during the slow dance song, and we've been together ever since." Beardo let out a fond sigh as he reminisced, "but she moved away for college after senior year, so we been goin' long distance. My family don't come from a lotta money, so I just take classes online. Winning this cash would be huge for me, you feel?"

"Yeah, dude, I feel you," Duncan said gruffly, abandoning the cards and clapping the big guy on the back.

Beardo put a hand to his chest, "Damn, thats the most words I've said in a long-ass time! I think I'm winded!"

The two shared a laugh.

"What about you?" Beardo asked. "I know you went to jail after All-Stars, but whatcha been up to since then? Did the slammer change you at all?"

"Hell yeah it did," Duncan said, his tone growing sombre. "Jail really forced me to grow up and take a look at myself, y'know? It made me figure out the kind of man I wanted to be." He shook his head, "I let the stupid show and my past baggage with it get to my head, and I got stuck in the glory days of Total Drama Action, when my popularity was at it's highest. I had everything back then. Then during All-Stars, I realized I had nothing, and just kinda lost sight of myself."

Beardo nodded, empathetic for his friend.

"I was lucky," Duncan confessed, "I was famous, and Chris didn't press for super serious charges. I only had to spend two months in jail before I got released 'on good behavior'," he snorted, "I guess cowering from all the real criminals and having weekly panic attacks is good behavior." He shook his head. "Anyways, the first six months after jail was rough. I was a prick, trying to reclaim some of my fame from Total Drama. I got over it, though. I came back to this show to right a few wrongs."

Beardo nodded sagely, "Gwen, right?"

Duncan winced at her name. "Yeah, but I blew that one right off the bat. She's not interested," he sighed, "but that's okay."

"You still have feelings for her?" Beardo asked, his eyebrows raised.

Duncan rubbed his face and sighed, quiet for a moment. Eventually, he looked over at Beardo and nodded. "Yeah, I really do," he admitted. "I basically just came back to try and get back with her."

Beardo let out a low, sad whistle, and Duncan sighed.

"That pretty much sums it up. But she's got a new boyfriend, and told me it wasn't happening. I was fine with being friends until she voted me off."

"Oh!" Beardo made a '_sproing_' noise to mimic his realization, "_that's_ why you got so mad when that happened!"

Duncan nodded in confirmation, "yup, pretty much. But things are fine between us now, I guess. Sometimes it sucks being around her, because I know it'll never happen…but I guess that's just part of growing up."

Beardo gave Duncan a sympathetic shoulder pat. "That's pretty mature of you, man." He offered.

Duncan chuckled, but there was little humor in it. "Thanks, man." His tone and gaze turned sharp as he eyed the beatboxer, "I trust this stays between you and me. I may not care about my tough-guy image as much as I used to, but I still don't talk about my feelings much."

Beard nodded and zipped his lips, somehow making the appropriate noise despite his closed lips.

"I gotta tell you that's a load-off, though," the punk admitted, grabbing the last of the cards and stuffing them unceremoniously into the deck box. "Thanks for listening."

Beardo gave him another thumbs up and a friendly smile. The two finished up the cleaning in comfortable silence.

* * *

**(Confessional: Beardo.)**

"Damn!" Beardo curses, a smile on his face, "who knew Duncan could be such a cool dude after all? It seems like he's grown up a lot. I never though I'd get along with him when I watched the show all those years ago, but I dare say you could call us friends!" He puts his hands to his head and mimes an explosion, rocketing his hands outwards.

**(End Confessional: Beardo.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Duncan.) **

Duncan snorts. "I hear ya. Beardo? I wouldn't have thought it either. But the dude is surprisingly chill." He shrugs, "who would've thought?"

**(End Confessional: Duncan.)**

* * *

Izzy was dragging a nervous Owen out into the woods.

"Hey uh, Iz?" Owen asked, looking around the dark woods with a nervous expression, "what're we doing out here?"

"Does this remind you of anything?" Izzy asked him, grinning as an owl hooted in the distance.

"Yeah, sorta," Owen mused, still being dragged along, "it kinda reminds me of the horror challenge from back on Total Drama Island."

"Exactly, you know what happened during that challenge?" Izzy asked him.

Owen's heart began to beat quickly. "Uhh…DJ got eliminated for being a chicken?"

"No! Well…yeah, I guess that did happen…but that's not what Izzy is talking about!" Izzy hollered, "that was the first time you and I kissed!"

Owen's face went beet red, and he coughed awkwardly, taken aback. "Oh! Uh..yeah, I guess it was…" He continued to look around, a little nervous now, "um…say, Izzy…but _why_ are we out here?"

"Well, Owennn," Izzy drawled, dragging out the name of the boy in her company, "I had a _very_ interesting chat with Gwen a little while ago!"

Owen gasped, the reality of what was happening hitting him full force. "Oh! Uh…about what, exactly?"

"Well we apparently kissed a few nights back!" Izzy said boldly, finally stopping her dragging and letting go of Owen's chunky arm. She turned to face the boy, "I didn't remember squat! Did you?"

"No," Owen admitted, nervously scratching at the back of his head, "but I did find out the next day…Noah told me."

"Noah!" Izzy repeated, slapping her forehead, "he didn't tell me anything! Why didn't _you_ say anything?"

The flush crept down Owen's face and into his neck. He was thankful it was dark outside. "I guess I was just scared that you wouldn't be happy that it happened or that you'd think it was gross," he finally admitted. "Especially with how messy and vague things ended between us in World Tour."

An unusually soft expression showed itself on Izzy's face, and she smiled warmly at the nervous young man in front of her. "Well, Owen," she told him, "for the record, I _never_ find you gross!" She gave him an appraising look, "well, I guess there's only one thing to test! Let's see if the magic is still there!"

Owen looked confused. "The magic? What do you-" he was interrupted when Izzy suddenly closed the distance between them and kissed him on the lips. While he was initially shocked, he quickly recovered and wrapped his arm around her, and even popped his heel.

The kiss lasted about ten seconds before they broke apart. Owen had stars in his eyes, and Izzy put a finger to her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Welp," she decided, "there's definitely still some magic there, Owen!"

"There is?" Owen asked hopefully.

Izzy nodded vigorously, "let me just sleep on it, okay? But I think I'd be willing to give us another shot!"

Owen let out a happy squeal to rival Katie an Sadie. "Ohh, yay!" He gushed. "Totally awesome!"

Izzy grinned, and hopped onto Owen's shoulders in an impressive athletic display. "Now, carry me back to camp! Your Queen is tired!"

Owen saluted. "Aye-aye, your majesty!"

The two ran off towards, camp, giggling the whole way.

* * *

**Well, there's Rest Day #2, in the books! This was definitely the least dramatic of all the rest days. They'll amp up when it comes to 'competitive substance' from here on out. I knew when I first started planning this story I wanted them all to play Strip Poker at some point. The idea for Bridgette being an unexpected card shark came from the off-hand comment Duncan made in the very first chapter of this fic, and I kinda just rolled with it. **

**But yeah, Ozzy are borderline back together? Will they OFFICIALLY get back together because they're practically right there! I hope you all enjoyed this more-fluffy chapter. I had fun writing it!**

**The next chapter is planned to be updated June 29th! I'd like to update this story every other Monday starting now! (Hehe I was originally hoping to get this out yesterday but I ended up throwing a party instead whoops). So yeah, I'll see you guys on the 29th!**

**Some questions for the reviewers:**

**-Who are you pegging as the next boot for each team?**

**-Anyone you can safely bet will merge at this point?**

**-Who's the better cook: Beardo or Owen?**

**Ciao! **


	13. Wawanakwa Gone Wilder!

**Whaddap famsquads and squadfams. Its ya boi Knifez with another TDG chapter. I know we've only had like two eliminations in the past five chapters, but now it's smooth sailing one elimination per chapter until the next Rest Day! Swearzies! **

**We're getting close to 200 reviews! You guys are amazing! **

**Remember to vote on the poll for who returns at the merge! First place in the poll returns! 4 chapters left to vote! **

**WHOA! Did you know that this fic has a TV Tropes page?! That's so freakin' cool! If any of you guys are familiar with the site and want to add some Tropes, that would be amazing! I had no idea until just now that it existed! To whoever created it, thank you so much! **

**Now, let's get it on!**

* * *

"Sha-_bam_! Lightning is ready to _own_ it in today's challenge!"

The door's of the Mess Hall burst open, revealing an exuberant and excited Lightning. The jock had his hands on his hips and a victorious smile on his face as a triumphant tune played in the background.

"Out of the way, Jockstrap!" The triumphant tune hit a record scratch as Jo shoved Lightning to the ground, "you're blocking the way!" She added, stepping over his groaning body.

Noah followed the two into the Mess Hall, being careful to avoid stepping on Lightning. "You know, you'd do well to share Lightning's enthusiasm." He scolded, frowning at Jo.

"Yeah!" Lightning added, hopping to his feet. "Cause if we lose again, you're goin' sha-bye-bye!"

Jo just sneered at the two, plopping down at the Alpha table with a grunt. "Please, I plan on carrying this team all the way to the merge, and there's nothing you two dunderheads can do to stop me!"

Noah sat across from her, while Lightning took a seat to his immediate right. "Look, Jo," he said, trying to be diplomatic, "we're not going to try and lose, okay? The only reason we lost so much was because of what Zoey did to Lightning. Now that she's gone, we should be okay. With my brain and Lightning's brawn, and your combination of both," he leaned back in his chair and smirked, "I don't see how we lose another challenge."

Jo just scoffed at him, "what _Zoey_ did to Lightning? That's rich."

"Let me guess, Zoey told you it was me that orchestrated everything," Noah rolled his eyes. "Typical Zoey, huh?" He asked Lightning.

"You can't let her fool you, dude," Lightning warned the jockette, "she's crafty!"

Jo looked like she wanted to yell at them, but ultimately just put her chin in her hand and sighed. "Y'know what, Lightning? I hate you too much to expend the effort of showing you the truth."

"Thank you!" Lightning beamed, "that's the nicest thing you've ever said to him!"

Noah and Jo, despite their animosity, exchanged a bewildered look.

* * *

**(Confessional: Lightning.)**

"First Zoey said it was Noah, now Jo says it too," Lightning ponders, "but Lightning don't believe them! Noah has his back, and they gotta stick together. Besides, he kinda reminds Lightning of Smart Guy!" The jock trails off, his face scrunched up in concentration, "though Smart Guy was kinda sneaky at times, too. Hm…"

**(End Confessional: Lightning.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Jo.) **

"Well, the fact that Zoey got kicked off pretty much just screwed me," Jo complains, "I just gotta keep my head down and do my best in challenges until the merge hits or Chris condenses the teams into two. I don't think there is any way I can break up the dynamic _dumbasses_ that are Lightning and Noah."

**(End Confessional: Jo.)**

* * *

Jasmine, Shawn and Sammy were walking through the woods, chatting and laughing with each other. A lovely, lilting tune played, and the day was sunny and warm.

"Say," Jasmine said, looking around. "Where's Owen, babe? He usually joins us on these morning strolls."

Shawn stripped a blueberry bush of its berries and popped a couple into his mouth. "I dunno," he answered, "I didn't see him when I got up."

"Who knows what he gets up to," Sammy said idly, squatting down to pluck a flower from the ground.

"So, you gonna come visit me after the season?" Jasmine asked her friend. "I'd love to show you Australia!"

"Oh, that would be awesome!" Sammy gasped, straightening up with the flower. "I'd love to come visit you!"

"Yeah, we're going to be looking for a place together," Shawn smiled, wrapping an arm around his much taller girlfriend. "And you know, if you ever want a change of scenery…"

"Oh em gee, that would be so much fun!" Sammy said excitedly, "You guys really wouldn't mind living with me?"

"Of course not!" Jasmine told her warmly, "I reckon we'd get into quite the shenanigans the three of us, and that'd be excellent!"

"Australia is a pretty decent spot to live in when the apocalypse happens, since it's so big and the population is so little," Shawn told them sagely, "plus it's cut off from the rest of the world. Sure, it's not as good as Madagascar or Greenland, but it'll do!"

The three continued to walk through the woods.

"So, are you guys feelings safe?" Sammy asked the two. "I mean, Owen and Izzy used to date, right? Then they smooched. If they get back together, that would probably force a tie on your team…"

Shawn and Jasmine exchanged a look. "Yeah, I'm not too worried," Jasmine said honestly, "Owen and Izzy ain't a couple a' Joey's, sure enough…but I think we can take 'em.'

Her boyfriend nodded his agreement, "yeah! But we've been _killing_ it in challenges, so I'm not too worried."

"You totally have been," Sammy said, her tone envious, "you guys are so kick butt."

"It's not like you've been idle, though, eh?" Shawn said, crossing his arms and nodding sagely. "Jazz tells me you've been up to all sorts of cool stuff."

Sammy flushed a little. "W-well," she stammered, "I mean, not _really_."

"Don't discredit yourself," Jasmine urged her, "I'm still in awe of that balloon trick you pulled to take down the Alphas. And look at the effect! They've completely fallen apart!"

"Yeah, just don't try and of that stuff on us," Shawn joked, lightly nudging Sammy in the ribs with his elbow, to which she giggled.

* * *

**(Confessional: Sammy.) **

"Shawn and Jasmine are just the best," Sammy gushed, clasping her hands to her chest fondly, "I'm having so much fun on Total Drama this time around! I've made friends with Gwen and Bridgette, I have old friends too, and the best part is…no Amy!" She separates her hands and throws them over her head in victory.

**(End Confessional: Sammy.)**

* * *

Duncan and Beardo, the two latest risers of the boys, were the last in the boys trailer. The two were getting ready for the day and attempting to wake themselves up fully.

"I wonder what the challenge is going to be today…" Duncan yawned, eyes on the mirror and fingers covered in gel as he slicked his signature mohawk back.

Beardo ran a comb through his afro, getting it to it's desired poofyness. "Your guess is as good as mine," he admitted, "I just hope it ain't something super scary like the last challenge."

Duncan rose an eyebrow, turning to stare at Beardo through the mirror. "C'mon, man. Last challenge was kinda intense, but it wasn't _that_ scary."

Beardo imitated a buzzer, much like the ones heard on the infamous Talent Shows that were broadcasted on TV. "Speak for yourself, man! You weren't alone!"

Duncan mulled that over for a few minutes. "Y'know what? That's fair," he admitted. Done with his mohawk, he wiped the remaining gel off his fingers and onto Noah's pillow.

Next to be imitated was an alert noise, just like the one in the Metal Gear Solid games. "Hey, man!" He scolded, "that's not nice!"

"Have you _met_ me?" Duncan laughed. "And relax. It's non-scented and will come out in the wash. Besides, he deserves it. He's a scrawny know-it-all."

Beardo couldn't exactly counter that statement, so he just returned to combing his hair.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and both Beardo and Duncan looked at each other, confused.

"Uh…come in?" Duncan called. In a lower voice, he asked Beardo, "who the hell knocks on the trailers?"

Beardo just shrugged. The door opened, and Bridgette popped her head into the trailer.

"Malibu?" Duncan blinked, "what's up?" Bridgette walked in with Gwen in tow. "Pasty, too? Everything ok?"

"We're just looking for Sammy," Gwen told him, looking around the boys trailer. "Man, this place is a mess."

It was true. Clothes from all the different guys were strewn all over the floor. Empty snack boxes and beer bottles crowded the large table. The small sink in the corner had a bunch of half-clean dishes in it.

"Well, none of us are exactly neat freaks," Beardo pointed out, "but it ain't too bad in here."

Bridgette pinched her nose. "Yeah…right…"

"We haven't seen Sammy," Duncan said, a little distastefully, "why the hell would she come hang out here, anyways?"

"Well we checked all the other buildings," Gwen explained, now looking a little worried, "this was the last place we hadn't checked."

"Ain't she friends with Shawn and Jasmine?" Beardo told the girls, "maybe she's out on an early morning stroll with them?"

The two girls looked at each other and then back at Beardo. "Oh yeah, good point," Gwen admitted.

"Shawn, Jasmine and Owen used to go for early walks all the time!" Bridgette slapped her forehead, "I can't believe I forgot…" the surfer let out a loud groan, "man, I need some coffee…"

Beardo finished with his hair and tossed his comb back onto his bed. He walked over to the two girls and '_ding-ding_''d at them.

"Yeah, let's get some breakfast," Duncan agreed.

* * *

"Man, this is nice…"

"It sure is, Big-O!"

Owen and Izzy were currently sitting on the top of the 1,000ft cliff, lying in the shaggy grass and relaxing.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen the sun rise before," Owen admitted, "especially with such a pretty girl like you, Izzy!"

"Aww," Izzy cooed, leaning into Owen's husky frame, "that's so sweet!"

Owen wrapped an arm around his long-time crush. "It was so worth getting up at the crack of dawn, literally!"

The camera zoomed in on his face to reveal huge bags beneath the tubby boy's eyes. A quick pan to Izzy showed that she shared the same fate, and a jarring tune played as the ugly bags were emphasized.

"So, did you give any more thought on us being a couple?" Owen asked boldly, a bit of nervousness still in his voice.

"Aren't you the impatient one?" Izzy teased.

Owen giggled a little, looking off to the side, "hey, I've been waiting years! I'm tired of it!" He defended himself.

"Well, Izzy _did_ do something thinking on it…" the crazy redhead told him slowly. "And I think that…it'd be awesome to try our relationship again!"

Owen jumped to his feet, sending Izzy sprawling. The fiery girl grinned up at Owen as he broke into a happy dance. "Yeah-heh-heh, sweet!" He cheered. "This is awesome!"

Izzy hopped to her feet and leapt onto Owen's shoulders, planting a big wet kiss on the top of his head. "Alright, Owen! I'm hungry! Let's get some breakfast!"

"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

Once everyone had met up and began eating their eggs and toast in the Mess Hall, Chris entered with his usual cheery attitude.

"Morning, campers!" He greeted them, "finish up your food, because it's time for the challenge!"

Owen began shoveling his food into his face, but was missing quite a bit. Shawn and Jasmine noticed this when Jasmine got nailed in the face by a clump of scrambled eggs.

"You alright, mate?" Jasmine asked, slightly annoyed as she wiped bits of egg of her face.

"Yeah," Shawn added, noting the bags under his eyes, "you don't look so good."

"Aw, I'm just great!" Owen assured his teammates warmly, "I'm just a little tired, that's all!"

"Yeah!" Izzy added, currently molding her eggs into a startlingly accurate sculpture of Chef's head. "Owen and I saw the sunset this morning! It was beautiful!"

"It really was," Owen agreed, but it was clear due to his starry-eyed stare that he was talking about Izzy. This did not go unnoticed by the other couple on the team. Shawn and Jasmine exchanged a look, and the zombie nut turned to his tubby friend.

"Oh, that sounds…romantic!" Shawn said pointedly.

Owen fished a piece of egg out from one of the bags under his eyes and popped it into his mouth, making Jasmine's face go green. "It was super romantic," Owen said, not taking his eyes off his new-but-old girlfriend.

"So are you two officially back together?" Jasmine asked.

The two nodded happily. "We're gonna give it another go!" Izzy said.

Shawn looked genuinely happy for the two, "I'm glad to hear that, you two!" He said warmly, throwing an arm around his buddies shoulder.

"Yeah…super," Jasmine agreed, her smile obviously forced.

Meanwhile, the Alphas were finishing up their meal.

"Alright!" Jo barked, "whatever this challenge is, we're gonna kill it today, okay?!"

"Aye-aye, captain!" Noah drawled, exchanging a smirk with Lightning.

"Why are you trying to boss us around, Jo?" Lightning asked with a frown, "where's the logic on being such a jerk?"

Jo's palm smacked onto her own face, and then whipped out and smacked Lightning in the face, making him yelp. "_Because_, Jockstrap!" She snapped, "I know I'm gonna get the boot if this sorry excuse for a team loses again. So, I don't have to worry about playing nice with you two buffoons. Instead, I'm gonna drive you two into the dirt, making sure we're always one step ahead of the other guys." She jerked her thumb over to the Oddballs. "_Especially_ them! They've won every single challenge since they lost the first one! Except for the one we all lost, of course."

Noah and Lightning looked over to the four Oddballs. Shawn and Jasmine were chatting with Owen while Izzy was beating up the egg-Chef head.

"Please," Lightning scoffed, "they're just a bunch of chumps!"

"I'm with the Mullet on this one, actually," Noah said, scowling specifically at the Pahktiew Island couple. "Owen and Izzy are threatening enough, but-" he was interrupted by Lightning, who started laughing hysterically.

"Sha-please!" Lightning chuckled, "that fat guy, threatening? Don't get me wrong, Lightning understands that the crazy nutso has skills, but that tubby dude is about as threatening as a puppy!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think Lightning is right," Jo agreed, shooting Lightning a repulsed look. It was returned in full by the jock. "Lardball over there didn't even make it on All-Stars. Sure, he won the first season because of some dumb luck, but other wise? Meh."

"Don't underestimate him," Noah warned, "appearances can be deceiving, and Owen is more than capable of pulling his own weight. Didn't you guys watch seasons 2 and 3?"

Lightning shook his head no, but Jo had watched every episode of Total Drama before auditioning. "I saw Owen disappear for half the season and then manage to make the Final 3 because Chris made him play dirty," Jo said dismissively, "then he got dumped by Alejandro the moment that eel could be rid of him." She crossed her arms, eyeing the fat boy critically from a distance, "Like I said, not impressed."

Noah felt the defensiveness flare up inside his chest as his instinct to defend his best friend bloomed into being. "Fine then, go ahead and underestimate him. It _totally_ won't come back to bite you in the butt later."

"What do you care?" Jo shot back, "are you two even friends anymore? Didn't you oust his girl?"

"His girl?" Noah repeated, "they aren't together."

Lightning scoffed, "Look again, man."

Noah turned his seat to look at Owen and Izzy again, just as Izzy snuggled into his shoulder and Owen kissed her forehead. The bookworm's mouth dropped open. "They got back together!" He whispered loudly, a rare grin forming on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, it's _great_. Makes me all warm and fuzzy…" Jo said sarcastically, pretending to gag. "But as I was saying, Shawn and Jasmine are two of the most skilled players to every play the game, and Jasmine especially is pretty ruthless." She punched her palm. "We gotta cut their winning streak down to size!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine doesn't look too pleased. "With Owen and Izzy back together, that complicates Shawn and my's safety," she grumbles, "before, it would've been easier to convince Owen to vote for Izzy in a 3-1, but now that they're together that isn't going to happen. Which means we have a tiebreaker on our hands next time we lose. Shawn's not too worried, but he's all well and safe since it's gonna be _me_ that is getting put in the tiebreaker. No way Owen would let Shawn go, and Shawn probably feels the same way." She shakes her head. "I mean regardless, I'm not too nervous. I can take Izzy."

**(End Confessional: Jasmine.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

Noah is smiling to the camera. "I'm so happy that Owen was able to get back with the girl of his dreams! And he didn't even need my help!" The smile slips from his lips. "I want to apologize to him, but I'm just too guilty and scared to approach him about it." He sighs loudly, "ugh, why can't he just approach _me_ about it?"

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

"Hey, I said finish your meals, not start yapping with each other!" Chris pouted, "let's go! Everyone meet me outside the Tuck Shoppe…_pronto_!" He turned on his heel and strode out of the Mess Hall, leaving the twelve campers to quickly shovel in the last bits of their meals before heading for the challenge destination. Once there, Chris emerged from the Tuck Shoppe, snacking on a bag of beef jerky. "Finally," he moaned, his mouth full, "I was waiting forever!"

"It was like 5 minutes, you big baby!" Jo said dismissively, "just tell us what the challenge is!"

Chris tossed the beef jerky to Owen, who happily caught and began mowing through it. "Right, right," the host brushed jerky crumbs off his hands and put them on his hips, glancing over the remaining young adults. "Okay, so this challenge is timed. You have five hours to complete this. The challenge is in two parts. You'll split yourselves up into two groups, and one group will take each part of the challenge. Understood?"

"Yes," Jasmine said impatiently, "now what's the challenge?"

"It's an homage to a classic Total Drama Island challenge," Chris said excitedly. He turned to Izzy, Owen, Gwen and Duncan. "I'm sure you four remember the awesome animal tracking challenge!"

"Ugh, don't _remind_ me," Gwen groaned.

"It wasn't all bad," Duncan said with a grin, "remember when Izzy shot Heather in the butt with a dart?"

"Remember when _you_ cleaned the bathrooms with my toothbrush?" Gwen shot back. That shut Duncan up.

"Good times," Izzy said wistfully. "So we have to track down an animal?"

"Yes and no," Chris told her, "the first part of the challenge is solving three riddles. The riddles will take you all over the island, and when you complete a riddle you'll get one piece of a puzzle. The full puzzle will show you what animal you have to track. Then you have to trap the animal and bring it back to the Mess Hall. First team to do so wins a reward! Second team back gets no reward but is safe! Last place boots someone." The host stretched his arms over his head. "Any questions?" There was silence, as the challenge was pretty straightforward. "Ok, split up!" Chris pulled out an airhorn, "in three minutes you'll hear this, and then its go time!"

The teams all huddled with each other.

"Oh-ho, the Naturalist is _so_ ready to tackle this!" Owen cheered, "let me track!"

"I should track, too," Jasmine said, "I'm extremely good at it." She looked at Shawn and Izzy, "you think you two can handle the riddles?"

Shawn nodded. "Easy peasy," he said confidently.

Izzy yawned and rubbed at the bags under her eyes with her knuckles. "Y-y-yeaah," she yawned again, "leave it to us!"

"Good, it's settled. Let's keep the winning streak going." Jasmine smirked.

Over by the Alphas, things were a little more turbulent.

"Alright, Brainiac," Jo said, glaring down at Noah. "You're on riddle duty. Take Lightning with you incase you have to do anything physical. I'll handle the animal."

"You sure, Jo?" Lightning asked, "it might be better for Lightning to have your back in case the animal is tough."

"Yeah," Noah added, "do you have any experience capturing animals?"

"I have three little cousins," Jo told the two boys, and they exchanged looks of shock. "I'll be fine," she assured them. "Just get the riddles done and get 'em done fast. Got it?"

The two nodded.

"Alright, I'll track the animal. Who wants to tackle the riddles?" Duncan asked the four other members of Team Nuclear.

"Uh…who made you leader?" Sammy asked, a touch nervous.

"No one," Duncan told her shortly, "I'm just trash at riddles. Trust me, it's for the best."

"Well, I'm pretty good at them," Gwen offered.

"My sounds might help us attract the animal once we know what we're dealing with," Beardo pointed out. "I'll go with Duncan."

"I'll do riddles," Bridgette said quickly, "I'm still not great with being out in the woods alone…"

The two duos looked to Sammy. "Well, where do you think you can help most?" Gwen asked with a friendly smile.

"Um…" The girl looked between Beardo and Duncan and Gwen and Bridgette. She definitely knew where she wanted to go. "I'll help with the riddles," Sammy said quickly.

The Nuclears nodded. "Alright, let's kick some ass, guys." Duncan stated, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright, do you have your groups everyone?" Chris yelled out. "Riddle-doers, step forward!"

Sammy, Bridgette, Gwen, Noah, Lightning, Shawn and Izzy stepped forward, ready to receive their first clue.

"The rest of you just sit tight in the Mess Hall until your team can deliver the full puzzle to you," Chris instructed Jo, Duncan, Beardo, Owen and Jasmine. The five walked off towards the Mess Hall.

"You should try and take a nap, mate," Jasmine advised, worried for Owen. "You're gonna need to be well rested if we have to track down a critter."

"The Naturalist hardly needs any rest," Owen told her confidently. This confidence was ruined by the fact that his eyes were shut, and the moment they all entered the Mess Hall he collapsed onto the ground, snoring.

Jasmine caught the eye of Beardo, who raised an eyebrow at the situation. "Don't ask," Jasmine sighed.

Back outside, Chris tossed each team a laminated plaque. These were caught by Gwen, Noah and Izzy.

"C'mon!" Noah said quickly, "we don't want the others to overhear us!"

"One step ahead of you, bro!" Lightning said, scooping Noah up and throwing him over his shoulder. The two jogged out of sight.

Shawn and Izzy looked down at the map, and Izzy instantly snapped her fingers. "We gotta find Zeke's old throne room!" Izzy said, "that's where he took Anne Maria when he kidnapped her!"

"You're right!" Shawn agreed, "but didn't Chris and Chef blow up the mine? How are we supposed to get in?"

Izzy let out a dark chuckle, "oh-ho, my friend…leave it to me!"

Shawn gulped.

The camera cut to an intense tune as Lightning ran through the woods, Noah still over his shoulder. "So where are we going?" He asked the bookworm.

"Remember the mine you guys had to go to in your first season?" Noah asked, "that's where we have to go."

"Wow, you solved that already? Lightning's impressed." Lightning said, still not breaking a sweat even though he was full-sprinting while carrying Noah.

"Please," Noah scoffed, "these riddles are childs play. Though I must say, I'm not surprised that Chris couldn't come up with anything more creative or challenging."

* * *

**(Confessional: Chris.)**

Chris glares at the camera. "Hey! I can _so _come up with harder riddles!" His glare fades and an arrogant grin replaces it, "I just know that all these moronic kids would _moan_ and _whine_ about how it was too hard, so I decided to take it a bit easy on them." His smugness fades and he glances off to the side, suddenly insecure, "uh. yeah…that's what it is…"

**(End Confessional: Chris.)**

* * *

Bridgette, Sammy and Gwen had their heads together. Literally, they were all staring down at the riddle, curious as to what it meant.

"An eliminated contestant was once took…" Sammy repeated. "Does that mean an eliminated contestant was once taken there?"

"I think so," Bridgette said, "so that rules out the Pahkitew Island guys since they never were on Wawanakwa before this season."

"So that leaves Brick, Scott, and Anne Maria, right?" Sammy continued. She turned to Gwen, who's eyes were closed as she thought. "What do you think, Gwen?"

"I think that Chris is a jerk," Gwen grumbled, opening her eyes. "Come on, we're off to the mine."

Speaking of the mine, the first team had arrived at the exploded entrance. Lightning skidded to a halt, dropping Noah roughly onto the ground and doing a victory dance. "Aw yeah, first team here! First place is as good as ours!" He kissed his biceps. "Sha-acing!"

An annoyed Noah picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. "Great. How are we supposed to get in?"

Lightning looked at he blocked entrance. "Sha-easy! Lightning will just move all the rocks out the way!"

"Dude, there's like 100 rocks there," Noah sighed, "no way you'll be able to move them all in time."

"That's what you think!" Lightning rebutted, bending down and beginning to hurl rocks outta the way. "Lightning will be done in two seconds flat! Just you watch!"

"Riiight," Noah drawled. He looked around the area. "There's gotta be another way in here." He walked behind the exploded entrance and began to poke around. There was nothing of note around the area save for some rocks and other shrubs. "Ugh."

* * *

"Alright, if I remember correctly it's just over here," Gwen said, moving through the woods with Bridgette and Sammy right behind her. "A clearing with some rocks…it's right…aha! Yes! Right over here!"

The three emerged into a small clearing that was empty save for some rocks.

"Uhh, what exactly are we looking at here?" Bridgette asked, turning to her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Get down here and help me move these rocks," Gwen told them, kneeling down next to one of the large stones and beginning to push. She was quickly joined by Sammy and Bridgette and the three slowly slid the rock away, revealing a deep hole. "I can't believe I have to go back down there again," Gwen said hollowly, biting her lip.

"You'll be fine," Sammy said warmly, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We've got your back." Behind the twin, Bridgette gave Gwen a thumbs up.

Gwen took a deep breath. "Alright, let's do it!" With a terrified yell, she leapt down the hole, Bridgette and Sammy right behind her.

Moments after they disappeared into the ground, Shawn and Izzy ran into the clearing. They saw the open hole and Izzy ran to the edge, inhaling deeply. "Team Nuclear beat us here," she growled, "we'll have to go through another hole!" She turned around and kicked a nearby rock, moving it an uncovering the hole beneath it. "C'mon, we don't got no time to lose!" She bellowed, diving head first down.

Shawn looked down the hole. "Oh jeez, I hope there's no zombies down there," he muttered nervously. He gripped his hat and jumped down, hollering as he fell.

* * *

**(Confessional: Izzy.)**

Izzy is covered in dirt and beaming. "Woo! What a rush!"

**(End Confessional: Izzy.)**

* * *

Noah was still looking for another entrance to the mine. He was getting more and more frustrated at not being able to find anything, but that changed when he heard a shout from back where he left Lightning. After a quick jog, he was greeted with the sight of Lightning kissing his biceps and a small hole opened up in the exploded mine entrance. The bookworm looked around at the big hunks of rock scattered around the clearing. "Holy crap, Lightning!"

"Told you he could do it!" Lightning boasted, "now c'mon! We got a riddle to solve!"

Noah nodded and the two ran into the mine. However, the two ran into an immediate and severe problem.

"Sha-damn! Lightning can't see a darn thing in here!"

"Yeah, no crap," Noah face-palmed. "We should go see if the Tuck Shoppe has flashlights or something."

"Screw that!" Was Lightning's response, "we ain't got time for that!" He grabbed for Noah in the dark, managing to grab his head. He lifted the screeching bookworm over his shoulder head first. "Alright!" Lightning got into the standard quarterback rush position. "We're plowing forward! Let's go!"

"No-no-no-noooo!" Noah cried, his voice getting quieter as the two ran deeper into the mine.

* * *

Shawn and Izzy were heading down a tunnel. They had used Shawn's lighter to ignite a piece of wood and now had a makeshift torch.

"So where exactly was this room?" The survivalist asked, looking around nervously, "because the less time I have to spend in these narrow caverns the better. We're practically sitting ducks down here."

"Should just be around this corner." Izzy said, pointing up ahead. Sure enough, the tunnel turned right and they could see light up ahead. They zipped around said corner and emerged into the spacious cavern where Ezekiel had once brought Anne Maria years prior. A few stage lights were set up, pointing down at an old wooden table. On the table were three envelopes, one with each team logo on it. Shawn and Izzy ran over to it, and swiped the envelope with the purple crazy-smiley face on it.

"Got it!" Izzy cheered, "alright, let's scram!"

The two ran back the way they had just come. As soon as they disappeared, the Nuclear girls arrived through another entrance. Notably, Gwen was looking pretty rattled, but the three ran over to the table and grabbed their envelope. Sammy grabbed the envelope with the orange explosion on it and decided to open it there.

"_An iconic Total Drama Island couple had development here. Then, it was never seen again." _Bridgette read aloud, peering over Sammy's shoulder.

"Total Drama Island, huh?" Sammy repeated, frowning down at the riddle. "Well that's…um…you and Geoff, Owen and Izzy…Gwen and Trent…Lindsay and Tyler…" she scratched her head. "Anyone else? Does Harold and LeShawna count?"

"Not if you ask LeShawna," Bridgette chuckled at the absent Harold's expense.

"Duncan and Courtney, too," Gwen supplied helpfully, unaware of the bitterness in her tone. Sammy seemed to take no notice of this, but Bridgette raised her eyebrows.

"Oh right!" Sammy smacked her forehead. "They're like the best Total Drama Couple ever. I loved watching them on TV."

Gwen rolled her eyes, "sure, if cliche good girl bad boy couples are your cup of tea"

Sammy flushed a little. "That's a tea I would drink," she admitted.

"Everyone's entitled to their preferences, Gwen," Bridgette told her friend with a teasing smile. The surfer turned to the her fellow blonde, "so _that_'_s_ why you think Scott is cute, huh?"

Sammy's flushed face darkened a couple more shades. "Let's not bring that up," she said with an anxious smile. "That was just a passing thing, really."

"Whatever you say," Gwen said, her bitterness forgotten as she threw and arm around her friend. "Now let's get the hell out of this cave. We can figure out where we have to go on the way out."

The three nodded, but were startled when the solid wall next to them began to rumble.

Gwen approached the rumbling wall curiously. "What the heck…?"

"I don't know if I'd get close, Gwen," Sammy said nervously.

"Why, what could possible be-WHOA!" The wall exploded, revealing a panting Lightning and a bruised and battered Noah.

"We made it!" Lightning cheered. "First place, baby! First…" his enthusiasm died faster than Noah's hopes and dreams as a child when he saw Team Nuclear right in front of him. Gwen was on the ground now, covered in bits of rock and rubbing her sore head.

"Ugh, you use my head as a battering ram for ten minutes and we're still not in first?" Noah whined, rubbing his lumpy head as the two girls helped Gwen to her feet.

"How did you even carve that tunnel?" Bridgette asked, peering down the tunnel in shock.

Lightning dropped Noah onto the ground and kissed his biceps. "Girl, how do you think?"

"Um…I don't know, that's why I asked." Bridgette pointed out.

"Nevermind that!" Sammy said, "I see light at the end of Lightning's tunnel! It leads right out! C'mon!"

"Easy escape? I'm down!" Gwen said with a happy grin. The three ran off down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Noah had dragged himself up off the ground and limped his way over to the table. "Last place, of course the Oddballs got here first," he complained. He opened the envelope and read it. "C'mon," he told Lightning, "we have to go to the boathouse."

Lightning scooped up Noah again. "You got it!"

* * *

The shot cut to the boathouse. The door was closed and a serene tune played. A little birdie fluttered past the door, when it was suddenly kicked open from the inside, smacking the bird against the wall with a surprised tweet.

Shawn and Izzy stood in the doorway, triumphantly holding their next envelope. "First place!" Izzy hooted, waggling the envelope over her head.

The door finally closed, revealing the very pissed off, very disheveled bird. It growled at the two, who were unaware of its presence.

"Alright, let's open this baby up," Izzy continued, opening it up.

"Izzy, look out!" Shawn cried.

"Huh?" Izzy turned towards Shawn just in time to get a bird to the face. The girl hit the ground, the bird pecking at her face. "Ow-ow-ow! Get it off."

Quick as a flash, Shawn made a grab for the bird. The bird, however was ready. Faster than the human eye, it appeared to teleport behind Shawn. It's beak glinted in the sunlight as Shawn first gasped, then gulped.

"_Tweetin tweetenell, twid_" The bird chirped, before pecking at the back of Shawn's neck with true ferocity.

"Ow! Get it off, get it off!" Shawn yelped, covering his head with his arms as he ran around in panic.

The Nuclear girls arrived on the scene, looking shocked at the sight of Izzy and Shawn getting their tuckus's kicked by a bird.

"Just ignore it," Gwen advised, jogging into the boathouse and coming out with her own envelope, "and let's get the heck out of here!"

Not thirty seconds after the Nuclear girls disappeared, Lightning and Noah arrived on the scene.

"That's enough!" Izzy snapped, darting an arm out an grabbing the bird around the middle. She brought it up to her face, snarling at it. If a bird could gulp, it would have.

"Say hello to Big Bird for me, you son of a _bitch_." Izzy drew back her foot and punted the bird high into the air. It disappeared into the sky with a twinkle.

Shawn wiped the sweat off his brow. "Nice kick," he panted. His relief quickly turned to alarm when Lightning sprinted past the two, envelope in hand.

"From first place to last!" Izzy snapped, tearing open the envelope, "it's official, I HATE birds!" She looked down at the riddle. _"You're garbage," _she read aloud, "_that's it. That's the whole clue." _ She looked to Shawn, "uhh, I'm kinda stumped with this one."

Shawn looked confused too, "Are there dumpsters or something? Maybe we should check there?"

"To the Mess Hall!" Izzy hooted. "Andelae andelae!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Izzy.)**

"Oh ho, I wasn't _that_ scared of the bird," Izzy gloats. "I was just playing it up for the cameras! It _was_ super satisfying to punt that little feather ball into next year, though." Suddenly, the bird crashes through the window of the Confessional, glaring at the redhead. Izzy gasps and assumes a defensive stance, but the bird just twitters and tweets at her. Izzy relaxes, a little perplexed. "Big Bird says hi back?" She looks at the camera, confused. The Confessional door opens, and a yellow, feathery arm reaches in-frame and grabs Izzy by the neck. "Oh," Izzy chokes out, "Hi, Big Bird!"

The little bird looks smugly at the camera.

**(End Confessional: Izzy.)**

* * *

"Hey, we beat the girls here!" Lightning cheered, arriving at the dumpsters behind the Mess Hall with Noah still on his back.

"Okay, where's the clue?" Noah asked.

"What are those?" Lightning pointed to three barrels.

Next to the dumpster were three different colored barrels. One was purple, one was orange, and one was gold. Each one had a bunch of wires interconnected within the barrel, and a timer device was located on the lid of the barrel.

"Oh no," Noah groaned, "don't tell me the last piece is in a stink bomb?"

"Uh, do you know how to defuse a bomb?" Lightning asked nervously. Sure enough, the timer on the gold barrel had just started counting down from five minutes.

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed in thought. "I don't," he admitted, "but I guess I'll just have to wing it."

"Or we could do this," Lightning suggested, He walked up to the barrel and put both his hands on the lid, making Noah gasp.

"Don't try to open it! That'll trigger the bomb!"

"Lightning ain't opening it," he grunted, drawing his foot back. With a mighty kick, he punctured the side of the barrel, causing a bunch of foul smelling gunk to splurt out. Lightning leapt over the barrel and Noah ducked to avoid the nasty stream. Once the stream had subsided, Lightning picked the barrel up and shook it, getting rid of the last of the gunk. With a sickly plop, the last envelope fell to the ground, and Lightning hurled the empty barrel into the undergrowth.

Noah watched this in awe, "wow…good stuff, Lightning."

"Lightning knows," the jock boasted, picking up the envelope. He ripped it open and pulled out the last clue. "Alright, let's put this together and figure out which kinda animal Jo has to get."

Noah pulled the other two clues out of his pocket, and the three put them together to see the picture of the animal. "A rabbit?"

"Looks like a bunny," Lightning agreed. "Jo should have this no problem!"

"Let's hope so," Noah grumbled.

Just then, Bridgette, Gwen and Sammy showed up. Noah and Lightning quickly went in the back door before they could ask any questions. The three girls surveyed the orange bomb.

"I've got no idea how to defuse a bomb," Sammy shrieked, gripping her head. "How the heck does he expect anyone to do that?"

"We cant use wait out the five minute timer," Bridgette pointed out, looking at the timer on top of the bomb, "We'll just hide and wait for it to explode, then grab the clue!"

As if on cue, a still battered Shawn and Izzy ran up to the bomb. After a quick glance, Shawn wordlessly plucked two wires from the bomb, and the timer fizzled out. The bomb defused, he opened the barrel and plunged his hand into the goop, coming out with the envelope.

"We don't have time to waste," Gwen told her teammates, "now go hide! I'll try and defuse it. If I fail, it'll still blow up right away and we'll get the clue."

"Oh ehm gee, you are so much braver than I am," Sammy gushed, already running for cover.

"You got this, Gwen!" Bridgette cheered, right on Sammy's heels.

Gwen looked at the bomb, trepidation engraved on every line in her face. "Alright," she said through grit teeth, "let's get it over with…like ripping a bandaid off." With a mighty tug, she picked two wires at random and yanked them.

_**KA-BOOM!**_

Every inch of Gwen was soaked in horrid smelling garbage-liquid. The goth coughed out a mouthful of the gunk and peeled the envelope off her face. "Ugh. Gross!"

Bridgette and Sammy re-emerged, their hands over their noses. "Gwen!" Sammy called, her voice odd due to the pinched nose, "are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Gwen replied, "just in desperate need of a shower." She handed the envelope to Bridgette, who had the other two pieces. "Hand it off to the boys. I need to go take a four hour shower."

"You got it," Bridgette nodded, grabbing the envelope.

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

Gwen is still covered in the gunk, and she looks visibly annoyed. "Y'know, I think I understand where Cody's fear comes from now."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

Jo had already taken off in search of her bunny when Shawn and Izzy entered the Mess Hall. They both immediately tripped over the snoring Owen, who was startled awake when Izzy kicked him in the face on the way down.

"Good work, babe," Jasmine said, picking her boyfriend up off the ground and setting him on his feet. "What's the critter we gotta get?"

"It's a raccoon," Shawn said, handing Jasmine the completed clue. "Good luck, you two,"

A drowsy Owen yawned, his bags now gone from under his eyes. "Alright, Jasmine! Let's rock this!"

"Indeed, c'mon!" The two ran from the Mess Hall.

A few moments later, Team Nuclear arrived, sans Gwen.

"Where's Gwen?" Duncan asked immediately.

"She got hit by a stink bomb so she hit the showers," Bridgette explained, "now you have to go find us a duck. Quickly!"

"Or should we say _Quackly_!" Sammy joked, making Bridgette and Beardo chuckle.

"A duck? Sweet," Beardo said with a smile, "duck calls are easy. We should be able to attract one in no time."

"Alright, we're in last place so we have to step it up." Duncan told Beardo, "so let's go!"

The two ran out, leaving Bridgette, Sammy, Noah, Lightning, Shawn and Izzy in the Mess Hall. The six just kind of looked at one another, curious as to what their next move was.

"Uh, can we just go now?" Shawn asked the room at large. "Or do we have to stay here?"

Chef stuck his head out from under one of the tables, making the others cry out in surprise. "Sit your butts here until the challenge is over!" He barked, retreating back under the table.

"Were you just sitting under their this whole time?" Bridgette raised an eyebrow.

"This is my fort," Chef said defensively, "and none of you are allowed in!"

Izzy cracked her knuckles and an ominous tune began to play. "Challenge accepted."

* * *

The scene switched to Jo running through the forest. A determined tune played as she yelled out into the woods. "Here, bunny bunny! Where the hell are you? I need to capture you so I can win!"

Predictably, no rabbit responded nor appeared.

"Ugh, this sucks!" She continued to jog around before an idea struck her. "Wait a second, rabbits like food, right? I need some fruit!"

She headed out of the forest and towards the Tuck Shoppe. On the way, she passed Jasmine and Owen, and the camera turned to focus on them as they ran into the forest.

"Huh, I wonder what she's running from?" Jasmine asked, looking over her shoulder back at the sprinting Jo. "It doesn't look like she has an animal."

"The Naturalist thinks it unwise to care about the other teams right now," Owen panted, a little out of breath from the running. "The Naturalist believes that we have to focus on finding a pesky raccoon to win the challenge."

"You're right," Jasmine agreed, "but raccoons aren't native to Australia so I don't have a ton of experience with them. Do you know where they'd be hanging out?"

"The Naturalist knows they like garbage, and are hungry, tubby little creatures." Owen said quickly, "so we should probably start our search at the dumpsters an pan out from there."

"Wait!" Jasmine skidded to a halt and Owen crashed right into her, sending them both to the ground with a painful groan. "Oi, get off me!"

Owen quickly scrambled off the hulking woman. "Sorry," he apologized, "the Naturalist doesn't exactly have the best stopping power due to his…inertia."

"It's fine," Jasmine brushed him off, "but look at these!" She bent down and examined some droppings on the ground. "Reckon these are from the little buggers we're hunting?"

"Only one way to find out!" Owen said, swiping a couple of pellets and holding them up to eye level. "Hmm…these _could_ be raccoon droppings…but…" he popped the pellets into his mouth, which made Jasmine dry heave. Owen chewed them thoughtfully, before choking and spitting them out of his mouth. After hacking and heaving for a good fifteen seconds, he recovered and his stoic 'Naturalist' expression returned to his face. "The Naturalist thinks thats poo for sure," he confirmed.

"Err…right," Jasmine said, "well, theres some footprints here as well. Let's track 'em down."

"Good call!"

* * *

Duncan and Beardo were crouched on the edge of the lake, shrouded in reeds. Duncan had run back to the boathouse to grab a net and two were waiting for an unsuspecting duck to get close to them.

"I see some out in the water," Duncan pointed out onto the lake, "but we'd never get close enough before they took off."

"Leave it to me," Beardo smirked. He put his hands to his lips and imitated a frighteningly accurate duck call. Even from their position on the edge of the lake, they could see the ducks turn towards them.

"I think it's working, keep it up!" Duncan whispered.

Beardo nodded and resumed his calls.

Intense music started to play as the camera cut to Jo, exiting the Tuck Shoppe with a handful of blueberries. She high-tailed it back into the woods until she came to an area which she deemed acceptable. She scattered the blueberries onto the ground, then climbed a tree. It was time to wait.

"C'mon, stupid bunny, look at all those delicious berries!" She said from up in the tree.

A cut back to Team Oddball showed Jasmine and Owen coming across a decently sized burrow in the ground. "This is it!" Owen said, "but how do we know if there are any in there, and how do we get them out if they are?"

"Leave it to me," Jasmine said determinedly, "I _got _this. Just gimme your shirt."

"Sure thing, you got it, no problem…wait, what?" Owen blinked, "my what-now?"

"Your shirt, mate!" Jasmine said impatiently, "I need to wrap my paw in it before I go sticking it down there. I don't want to get all shredded up, eh?"

"Right, that makes sense," Owen agreed. He quickly took off his tent-sized shirt and handed it to his teammate.

Jasmine accepted it with a nod of thanks and quickly wrapped her arm in it. With a grunt, she laid down on her stomach and thrust her shirt-covered arm down the burrow. After a few seconds of silence, growling and shrieking could be heard from the burrow, and Jasmine flinched as she withdrew her arm. On the end was one very pissed off raccoon, it's teeth chomped firmly into Owen's shirt.

"Nice work, Jasmine!" Owen whooped. He grabbed the raccoon by the scruff of it's neck, causing it to go limp and sleepy, and began to run back towards the Mess Hall. "Let's go!"

Jasmine nodded and ran after him.

* * *

"Why aren't these stupid ducks coming?" Duncan growled, "they obviously hear us!"

"I dunno," Beardo said, just as puzzled. "Should we swim out there and try and grab one?"

"I don't see another option," Duncan sighed, quickly wading into the chilly water. He winced and shivered. "We're running out of time. Knowing Stevette Irwin, she's probably all done with the challenge by now."

Beardo nodded and clambered in after Duncan, much less stealthy than the punk. "Alright, let's get this duck quick!"

Back with Jo, the girl was starting to get very, very impatient as time continued to tick on. However, mercifully, a bunny finally hopped into the clearing. It bent down and sniffed at one of the berries, and Jo decided it was time to strike. With a small grunt, she leapt off the branch, planning to land on the bunny and catch it. The bunny seemed too smart, however, and merely hopped a little to it's right. Jo faceplanted into the ground.

"Ugh…ow!" Jo glared up at the bunny, who was staring curiously at Jo, looking ready to bolt. "Listen here, bunny! I need you to win this challenge, so how about you and I strike a little _deal_."

The bunny slowly lost it's fearful look and replaced it with one of intrigue.

"A business-bunny, eh? You and I are gonna get along just fine," Jo smirked, pushing herself into a sitting position and dusting off her dirt-covered face. "Look, you like berries, right? All I need you to do is come with me to the Mess Hall real quick, and I'll get you all the berries you can eat. Sound like a plan?"

The bunny seemed a little skeptical.

"Look, I've got no reason to lie. But if you don't come with me, I'm gonna get my ass voted off tonight, and then it's _no_ berries for you. You really wanna take that gamble?"

That seemed to be good enough for the bunny, and it hopped over to Jo, waiting to be scooped up.

"Yes!" Jo whooped, gathering the bunny up in her arms. "Alright, let's do this!" She began sprinting for the Mess Hall and surprising speed, and the poor rabbits ears were left dangling in the wind as Jo ran. Soon enough, the Mess Hall was in sight, and Jo burst through the doors, holding the bunny triumphantly over her head. "First place!" She boasted "eat…it…" her eyes widened as she took in the shirtless Owen and the grinning Jasmine.

"Sorry, Shelia," Jasmine didn't sound very sorry at all, "but ya snooze, ya lose."

"Jo," Chris said, rising from his seat at one of the tables. "You are the…second team back! Team Alpha ends up in not winner, not loser territory!"

Jo sighed, dropping the bunny onto the table, where it sniffed at Shawn curiously. "Good enough for me," Jo said, "I'll take it."

"That means Team Oddball wins, and Team Nuclear are the big time losers," Chris continued. "Speaking of…where are Duncan and Beardo?"

* * *

"This isn't working!" Beardo choked, taking in copious amount of water as he thrashed and wrestled with a duck.

"Give him the old one-two!" Duncan encouraged from a few yards away. "Subdue his ass!" He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see four other ducks glaring at him. Duncan gulped and looked to the camera. "Yeah…this is gonna bite." The ducks all jumped him, and he screamed in terror.

Chris approached the edge of the lake, megaphone in hand. "Attention Duncan and Beardo!" He screamed through it, "you guys lost, big time! You can come out now!"

The ducks stopped their pummeling of the two boys, which gave them enough time to shove them off of him and swim away. Once they finally got shore, they let out relieved breaths.

"I think I almost died," Beardo whimpered, coughing out a mouthful of water.

"If you'll follow me back to the Mess Hall, you two," Chris requested, turning on his heel an heading off. A sopping Beardo and Duncan followed.

Once they returned, the shot cut to the teams all sitting at their respective tables. Shawn and Izzy were still disheveled from their bird assault, and Owen was shirtless. Duncan and Beardo were soaked and covered in feathers, and Gwen was still damp from her shower. Noah was all bruised up from being used as a battering ram, and Jo was covered in dirt from her tree leap.

"Man, you guys look like crap," Chris observed.

"Gee, thanks…" Sammy muttered.

"I still don't understand why my," Beardo imitated his duck call again, "didn't work!"

Over on the Oddballs, Shawn perked up. "Dude, do that again?"

Beardo seemed a bit confused by the odd request, but repeated the noise.

Shawn chuckled. "Dude, that's a _mating_ call. It's not mating season for ducks, that's why they didn't come!"

"Oh." Beardo blinked, "that makes sense! Whoops, sorry team…"

Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Now, the winners of the challenge, and the ones to collect the juicy reward…are Team Oddball…again!" Chris announced. The two couples cheered and hugged their significant others. "Your reward is…a helicopter ride to the mainland for a fancy dinner at a five-star restaurant!"

Owen immediately started blubbering. "Say it ain't so, Chris!"

"Oh, it's so," Chris confirmed. "You dirty peasants will first be flown to a high-end tailor so you can appropriate clothing for such an occasion. Then, a five course meal awaits you! Then, a night at the movies! After that, it's back here for sleep!"

Bridgette let out a small moan of envy. "That sounds amazing!"

"It really does…" Sammy sighed. "I could do for some luxury."

"When do we leave?" Jasmine asked.

"Right away!" As if on cue, the noise of helicopter could be heard in the distance, quickly getting closer. "Out you go!"

The members of Team Oddball quickly filed out of the Mess Hall, waiting for the helicopter to touch down on the grass outside the Hall.

"As for Trio Alpha, you guys squeaked out safety," Chris told them, "you guys can go."

Jo, Lightning and Noah nodded and headed for the door. "Nice work," Noah told Jo, to which she haughtily replied: "I know."

"That leaves you losers," Chris continued, looking out over the five members of Team Nuclear. "One of you is getting your butt kicked off the island. I'll see you guys after dinner."

The team got up to leave, but Duncan pulled Gwen aside. "Hey," he said quietly as the rest of the team filed out, "we need to talk."

Gwen gave him a curious look.

* * *

An unusual fast-forward right to the elimination ceremony showed all five members of Team Nuclear sitting on the logs at the fire pit. The fire was blazing merrily, a sharp contrast to the mood of the team.

Duncan and Gwen both had _incredibly_ sour and angry expressions on their face. Bridgette had noticed this and was looking a bit uncomfortable. Beardo and Sammy seemed more relaxed and stoic.

"Whoa-hoa," Chris chuckled, "man, there is some _weird _vibes going on here right now, let me tell you. I'll definitely have to go back and watch the footage to see what happened."

"Just get on with the ceremony," Duncan snapped.

Chris held his hands up with a cheeky grin. "Alright alright, calm your mohawk, dude." He held up a marshmallow. "The first marshmallow goes to Gwen."

Gwen's anger didn't fade, but she caught them marshmallow.

"Bridgette, you're also safe," Chris tossed the surfer a marshmallow. "Duncan, you too." Duncan caught his marshmallow.

"Sammy, Beardo, this is the final marshmallow of the night," Chris explained, "whoever doesn't get it is toast. No butter included, capisce?"

Both Sammy and Beardo looked pretty calm, though Beardo had more of an air of acceptance to him.

"The final marshmallow goes to…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Beardo!"

"What?!" Sammy gasped.

Beardo was wide-eyed and didn't even try to catch the marshmallow. It ended up stuck in his afro. He imitated a scratching record,"Wait…I'm with her…say what?"

"You heard me," Chris dusted his hands off, "Sammy, you got the most votes. You're out."

Sammy looked utterly thunderstruck. She turned to her team. "What…I don't understand…" she said, her lip starting to tremble.

Duncan looked pretty indifferent, though still angry. Bridgette seemed surprised too. That left Gwen, who was glaring at Duncan so venomously that her lip had curled up in a snarl. The pieces fell into place for the twin.

"Gwen…" she asked, mouth agape, "did you vote for me!?"

"I had no choice," Gwen spat, still glaring at Duncan. "I made a deal to vote with Duncan every ceremony until the merge. And apparently he thought you should go home even though _Beardo_ screwed up with his mating call." Her venomous glare faltered for a second, and she shot a quick look at the gaping Beardo, "uh…no offense, Beardo."

"None taken!" Replied the surprised beatboxer, "I thought I was going home too, but I was at peace with it!"

"I thought we were friends, Gwen!" Sammy said, angry tears starting to form in her eyes. "How could you betray me like that?!"

"I told you I didn't have a choice," Gwen told Sammy, her tone going from angry to sad as she looked at the hurt Sammy. "I'm sorry."

"You did have a choice!" Sammy spluttered, "you could've…you could have just NOT voted with him!"

"I"m not going back on my word," Gwen told her sadly, "I'm not Heather. The only reason I'm here is because _Duncan_," she turned to hiss at the punk, "voted Scott out over me because of our deal. But don't worry, I'm going to make him _very_ sorry he did that."

Duncan had the decency to look a little guilty, but when he spoke his tone was apathetic. "Get over yourself, Gwen. Don't try and pretend like you and Sammy were super close. Beardo's a good dude, and in case you didn't realize I have the power here and don't want him to go."

"I didn't forget, you asshole," Gwen spat, "that's why I voted for Sammy, didn't I?" She shook her head, "you'e unbelievable, you know that? Just when I think you've changed, you pull some scummy move like this."

"It's not scummy!" Duncan defended himself. "Beardo is my friend, and _Sammy_ over here," he thrust a finger at the angry Sammy, "was the reason I got booted from this team in the first place! Of _course_ I want her gone!"

"He makes a good point," Chris whispered to Chef, who had shown up with popcorn.

"Maybe," Chef agreed, "still a douche, though."

"It's why we love him,'" Chris sighed, stuffing his face with more corn.

Gwen wrenched her glare from Duncan and turned to Sammy, letting her sadness show. "I'm really sorry about this, Sammy. You didn't deserve this."

"You know what, you're right!" Sammy said hotly, "I didn't deserve this! I…I understand your difficult situation, but I would never put some deal with an enemy before my friends!"

Gwen looked down at the ground, ashamed. "Then you really don't understand my situation…"

"I'm really sorry, Sammy," Beardo offered, a little shocked to still be in the game. "I really thought it was me going home."

Sammy turned to look at the beatboxer, and her angry expression faltered. "No, don't be sorry. You deserve to be here too, even if you messed up today." She turned to glare at Duncan and Gwen. "Unlike these schemers!"

"I wasn't scheming," Gwen continued desperately, "I had no choice!" The two locked eyes for a second, before Sammy ultimately looked away.

"I disagree," she finally said, most of her anger gone. Just sadness was left. "Goodbye, Gwen…"

Beardo stood up and offered the nice twin a hug which she accepted. "You better win for me, okay?" She told him, "I believe in you!"

The beatboxer gave her a thumbs up. "You got it, girl." He said sadly.

Bridgette hugged Sammy too, "sorry you had to go out like this," the surfer said sympathetically, "but I do think the situation is more complex than you understand. Believe me when I say Gwen hated doing this."

Sammy turned to look at Gwen, who was looking at the ground. "She _did_ have a choice," Sammy said firmly, her eyes sad and watery in the firelight. She wiped some unshed tears from her eyes and turned to glare at Duncan. "You're a real jerk, you know that?"

"Whatever, sweetheart," Duncan rolled his eyes, "welcome to Total Drama."

"That's rich coming from someone who had a tantrum when he got voted off!"

"And this is the payback for that," Duncan shot back. He waved his hand dismissively at her, "say hi to Scott for me, will you?"

Sammy just stamped her foot in annoyance, her nice disposition rendering her unable to come up with biting remarks on the fly. She grabbed her luggage and began to walk the Dock. She climbed aboard, and it sped off into the night.

"Wow," Chris commented, looking at the shreds of Team Nuclear. Gwen and Duncan were glaring at each other, and Beardo and Bridgette were looking as awkward as they possibly could be. "Duncan, you kind of put Gwen in a 'Heather if you do, Heather if you don't' situation, huh? Ouch."

"She's the one that accepted the deal, Chris," Duncan told him, "I'm guilt free." However, his tone suggested something different.

"You are REPULSIVE!" Gwen shouted, rising to her feet to yell at Duncan, "I don't know what I _ever _saw in you!" Tears started to spill from her lashes, and she fled the scene before anyone could see.

"Gwen, wait!" Bridgette called after the girl, but the goth didn't slow down. Bridgette turned to give Duncan a disappointed look before following after her.

That left just Beardo and Duncan at the fire. Duncan's expression was cool and frosty, but it was clear from his body language that he was deeply uncomfortable.

"Duncan…you did that for me? Why? I ain't worth this mess," Beardo said to him. "Like…you still got feelings for Gwen, and you just ruined that big time."

Duncan shook his head. "There was never a chance to begin with," he told Beardo, "I don't understand what the big goddamn deal is. It's Total Drama, and Sammy literally spearheaded my elimination earlier in the season. Now I get back at her, and suddenly I'm Satan!" He scoffed and shook his head, anger quickly taking over the guilt as his main emotion. "What a joke!" He turned to glare at Beardo, "and you're my friend, dude. That's why I saved you. I like hanging out with you, so I didn't want you to go home. That's all there really is to it. Don't say you're not worth it, that's messed up."

Beardo was silent for a second, and couldn't help the beaming smile that took over his face. He walked over to the punk and put a hand on his shoulder. "Duncan…that means more than you could ever know, man," he said, getting a bit choked up. "Thanks."

"Yeah, whatever," Duncan said gruffly. "I think I'm going to go for a walk. Try and clear my head."

Beardo nodded, "alright, man. Catch ya later."

Duncan nodded, and walked off into the dark forest.

Chris walked over to the chubby beatboxer and threw an arm around him. "Wow, dude! What a shocker, huh?"

"You're telling me," Beardo agreed. "I thought that-agh!" He was cut off as Chris pushed him to the ground.

"It was rhetorical question man, I'm just signing off the episode," he told the prone boy dryly before returning his attention to the camera. "How will Jasmine and Shawn react when they come back from their dinner to find their good friend gone? Will Duncan and Gwen even be able to salvage being _civil_ to each other now? And how screwed is Jo next time Team Alpha loses? Find out, next time, on Total! Drama Generations!"

"My spine…" Beardo groaned.

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

A defeated Sammy looked sadly over the water as the boat sped through the night. With a mighty sigh, she turned to look at the camera. "Y'know, part of me understands Gwen's situation, and understands that she did what she thought she had to do..." her sadness gives way to annoyance, "but the _other_ part of me, the part that wants me to stand up for myself, thinks its a load of crap! I was nothing but nice and a loyal friend to her, and she votes me off because her ex-boyfriend tells her to? I'm sorry, but that's just uncool..." the annoyance faded from both her face and tone, and the sadness was quick to replace it. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Shawn and Jasmine..."

The boat eventually made it to the Playa Des Losers, and Sammy disembarked with her luggage. She was greeted by a familiar face on the Dock.

"Let me guess," Scott drawled, "backstabbed?"

Sammy sighed, "yes..."

"_Tsk-tsk, _I was worried that was gonna happen," Scott sighed, walking over to the blonde and taking her luggage for her. "C'mon, I did some snooping and found out some interesting stuff. I need to prepare you...just in case..."

Sammy gave him a curious look.

* * *

**Voting Confessionals:**

Beardo: I had a good run, but I think I'm gone tonight. I don't think Duncan's voting for me, and says I should vote Sammy. I don't think it'll matter, but ok...

Bridgette: Sorry, Beardo! You're a good guy, but your calling didn't help us today! Besides, I'm better friends with everyone else.

Duncan: Payback is a nightmare, Sammy. It's time you learned that!

Gwen: I can't believe I'm saying this...but I vote for Sammy. Damn you, Duncan...

Sammy: Sorry Beardo, you're a sweet guy...but us girls are sticking together, and I don't think Gwen wants Duncan gone just yet!

* * *

**Votes:**

_Sammy - 3 votes (Beardo, Duncan, Gwen)._

_Beardo - 2 votes (Bridgette, Sammy)._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Lightning, Noah, Jo.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Owen, Izzy.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Beardo, Bridgette.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky, Rodney, Zoey, Sammy.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

Okay okay okay...put your pitchforks down! I _know_ Sammy was pretty popular in this story, what with her psuedo-villainy being teased and her being more strategic...but she's gone now. I'm hoping this was a surprise to a bunch of you, since most of my readers seemed to think Beardo would be the next logical boot from Team Nuclear. But...her antics in getting Duncan booted coupled with Duncan and Beardo's newfound friendship ultimately led to Duncan forcing Gwen to vote her friend out!

I'm sure the most controversial aspect would be if Gwen would _actually_ adhere to Duncan's deal and not just vote him off...but after her antics in TDA she really wants to be a straight shooter, so that's my reasoning for her going along with it here. She is going to be fucking _pissed_ at Duncan, and they're newfound friendship just got nuked...pun intended.

But yeah, Sammy was a fun character to write. In the very first elimination draft I had her being the eight person booted. Then she was the last boot before the merge, then she was the ninth person eliminated. Eventually, though, it was tweaked enough to where she ended up 7th gone. Im sorry to her fans...but if it's any consolation...it looks like Scott and Sammy are cooking something up at the Playa...or at least Scott is, and he's filling Sammy in on it. We'll see plenty more of our favorite twin in the next Aftermath.

* * *

**So...that happened! Duncan saves his buddy, but ends up blowing up his new friendship with Gwen. Was it worth it for him? Guess we'll find out...**

**I hope none of you are too upset with the elimination. Sammy was definitely a bit of a red herring, seeming like she was going to get more villainous over time and likely make the merge. She will play an important role in the next Aftermath, though.**

**So, some questions for you guys...**

**\- Do you want me to open the next chapter up with a flashback to Duncan and Gwen's conversation? I didn't write it in this one because I wanted it to be a surprise. Adding it to the beginning of next chapter (Which otherwise will open on the Oddball double date) will provide some extra context and depth to the new hatred between Duncan and Gwen, but I don't feel it's entirely neccesary. I will totally add it though if you guys want to see it. Just let me know.**

**\- As I asked in Chapter 4, are you guys Team Duncan or Team Gwen? Was Duncan a dick for making Gwen vote off Sammy? Or was he justified in saving his friend and getting back at the person who orchestrated his elimination?**

**\- Will the rough-around-the-edges Team Oddball be able to behave themselves at a fancy restaurant?**

**Well, I'll try and get the next chapter out two Mondays from now. Many thanks to all my readers, you guys are the best :D**

**Ciao!**


	14. What's Cooking, Good Looking?

**Time for the next chapter, baby.**

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long! I am officially back at work 4-5 days a week, so the days of shorter updates are behind us, unfortunately! I will be aiming to get one chapter out every 3-5 weeks now, instead of every 2-3. Hope everyone understands! **

**Don't forget to vote on the poll if you haven't yet! Time is running out to choose who returns at the merge! **

**I have decided to include the Duncan/Gwen conversation at the beginning of this chapter! I'm surprised so many people were Team Duncan, considering lots of people were Team Gwen back in Chapter Four. Interesting…**_**verryyy**_** interesting.**

**Anyways, I know some of you were bummed by Sammy's elimination, and I'm sorry for that! But everyone left is so developed that I HAVE to get rid of someones beloved character every time I do an elimination! **

**Note: Incase it's not obvious; this chapter takes place on the same night as the previous chapter, not the day after. **

* * *

The episode opened on a fancy hotel room. Shopping bags were strewn all over the floor and bed, and piles of rumpled clothes adorned pretty much every surface.

"Nah, it just isn't quite me!" Came a whiny voice from off-screen. The camera did a quick pan to show Izzy looking into a full length mirror. She was currently dressed in a sleek, knee-length red dress made. Her frown contrasted the beautiful dress, though.

Next to her, a tired looking older woman with a tight bun of grey hair and grandma glasses sighed. "I understand, Miss Izzy. Perhaps dress number forty-seven will…_finally_…be to your liking?"

"You don't understand, Candance!" Izzy told her, doing a quick twirl in the red dress before scoffing and shrugging out of it. The camera panned quickly to Candance to avoid anymore nudity from the girl, and the sounds of rifling through different dresses could be heard from offscreen. "This is the first date I've had with Owen in years! I gotta knock his socks off with a dope-ass dress, you feel me?!"

"My name is Rebecca," 'Candance' said dryly, sighing as one of the dressed flopped over her face.

Izzy gasped and, the camera cut back to her as she held a new dress over her body. This one was emerald green and adorned with different sage-green leaves and flowers. "Whoa! Why didn't you bring this one out first?!"

"Because it's a Halloween costume of a forest spirit, Miss Izzy…"

"It's perfect!" Izzy became a quick blur of green and ginger as she rapidly changed into the dress. "Look at that, I look badass!"

"Whatever you say, Miss Izzy…can I go now?"

"You services are no longer required, Candance!" Izzy told her formally, "Leave my presence…at once!"

Rebecca/Candance rolled her elderly eyes. "I'm too old for this," she muttered under her breath as she hobbled out of the room.

The camera followed the older woman as she hobbled down the hallway, but stopped when she passed the next door. The camera went through the door to show two other members of Team Oddball, though these two were relaxing on the bed and chatting.

"I've never felt so fancy!" Shawn exclaimed, picking at his new suit. The boy was dressed in a sharp, classic black three-piece suit. His beanie was off and his hair had been combed and styled into something more current and fashionable. It was slicked back and up, and the shaggy back had been trimmed to hug his neck.

"You're telling me!" Owen giggled. The boy was dressed exactly like he had been when he gave his farewell speech early on in Total Drama Action, slicked back hair and all. "But I'm just excited for the dinner!"

"Remember though, man," Shawn warned him, "this is a fancy date with your new-slash-old girlfriend! You gotta be on your best behavior!"

"I know," Owen said, tone and face serious as he tugged on his collar nervously. "You gotta make sure I don't get too distracted by all the delicious food. I'm already way better than I used to be, but with food as good as this restaurant's will probably be…I need you to watch my back, ok?"

Shawn clapped him on the back and gave him a confident thumbs up. "You got it, Bro! I have your back!"

"You're the best, dude!" Owen gushed, reaching out and crushing Shawn in his signature bear hug.

_Knock knock._

Owen released Shawn and turned to the door. "Come in!"

As Shawn massaged his bruised ribs and regained his breath, the door opened and Jasmine walked in.

"Oi, I think the limo is here," she said, "time to go, mates."

"Sounds goo-guhhhhh…" Shawn turned to look at his girlfriend, but trailed off when he took her in with his eyes.

Jasmine stood there in a beautiful turquoise and teal floor-length dress. There was slit in the dress that went all the way to her hip, and the dress itself wasn't too modest in the front, either. Her hair was down and framed her face nicely. She noticed Shawn staring and her cheeks heated up.

"Wow, Jasmine! You look amazing!" Owen said happily, nudging is now-drooling friend. "Eh, Shawn?"

Shawn shook himself out of his stupor and quickly got up from the bed. He crossed the room and approached Jasmine, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You look like a goddess," he told her.

"Oh shut up," Jasmine chuckled, bending down to give Shawn a quick kiss. "Now c'mon, we've got a dinner to eat!"

"Woohoo!" Owen blew past the two and into the hall. "Jasmine, where is Izzy?"

"I dunno," Jasmine revealed, joining Owen in the hallway with Shawn. "I haven't seen here since we split up to pick dresses."

"I'm right here!" Came Izzy's voice, and the three other Oddballs looked around in surprise. "No, silly geese! Up here!"

Jasmine, Owen and Shawn looked up in surprise to see Izzy suspended on the ceiling. The redhead had her arms and legs firmly pressed into the walls, allowing her to keep her body on the ceiling.

"Izzy," Owen put his hands on his hips, his tone scolding, "what are you doing up there? We've got a dinner to catch!"

Izzy hopped down from the ceiling and landed right next to Owen. "Look at you, Big-O!" She said fondly, "you're looking sharp!"

Owen blushed, "aw, thanks Izzy! You look like a forest fairy!"

"Forest queen, actually," Izzy said, grinning like a pixie. She reached out and ruffled Owen's slicked back hair, returning it to its usual state. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

**(Hotel Confessional: Owen.) **

"Wow, this Confessional is so _fancy_!" Owen exclaims, looking around the Confessional in awe. "Anyways, can you believe this reward?" He chuckles, "I mean Chris is really going all _out_ this season, baby! Bring on the food!" From outside the Confessional, you can hear a limo honking, and Owen gasps and bolts from the Confessional. "Hold on! I'm coming!"

**(End Hotel Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

Back on Wawnakwa, the moonlight gleamed over the camp, and a certain pissed off goth found herself sitting on top of the 1,000 foot cliff. She hugged her knees to her chest, glaring out over the water with eyes still red from the tears she had shed.

Footsteps crunched in the grass behind her, and Gwen hunched up her shoulders defensively. "Unless you want to get hurled over the cliff, I suggest you leave me alone."

The footsteps didn't heed her warning, and continued until they were right behind the goth.

"Go ahead," came a familiar voice, "I'm waiting for my watery fate."

Gwen relaxed a bit, and turned her head to look over her shoulder at the new arrival. "Hey, Bridgette," she said glumly.

Bridgette took a seat next to the goth, and the two sat in silence for a few moments. The air was cool and tranquil as the two long-term friends stared out over the sparkling water and starry sky.

"So," Bridgette finally said, "you gonna tell me what the heck happened? Because I was just as surprised as Sammy was about what happened."

Gwen winced when she heard the name of her friend. "What is there to say? _Duncan_ happened."

"Well, yes," Bridgette said patiently, "but like…what _happened_?"

"…" Gwen was silent for a second before she started speaking. "Well, you see what happened was…"

_**~Hours Earlier~**_

"_Hey," Duncan pulled Gwen aside, "we need to talk." _

_Gwen gave him a curious look, but let herself be lead out the back door of the Mess Hall. They walked in silence for a few minutes in the woods before coming into a clearing. Duncan stopped and turned around to look at her._

"_What's up?" Gwen asked, a little nervous._

"I was worried at first that he was gonna confess his feelings or something," Came Gwen's narrated voice over the footage. "But looking back, I wish he had…it would've been less awful than what he actually wanted…"

"_I wanted to talk to you about the vote," Duncan said plainly. The punk walked over to a nearby tree and leaned against it, eyeing Gwen up and down with a cautious look on his face. _

"_The vote?" Gwen repeated, still confused. "What is there to talk about? It's gotta be Beardo, right? I mean, he's a good guy, but…" the words died on her lips when she saw Duncan shaking his head. _

"_No, we're voting off Sammy tonight." _

_It took Gwen a second for the meaning of Duncan's words to register, and she laughed it off initially. "Right, okay…" she said playfully. "Are you sure _Bridgette's_ not the better option?" _

_Now it was Duncan's turn to look uncomfortable. "No, I'm serious, Gwen." _

_The smile on Gwen's face died. "What? Why would we vote of Sammy? Beardo blew it with the duck calls today, and he's the odd man out on our team now that Jo is gone!" _

"_No," Duncan contradicted, "Beardo and I are tight now, Gwen. But the main reason I want Sammy gone is because she tried to eliminate me earlier in the season. I gotta get payback on her." _

"_Payback?!" Gwen repeated incredulously. Her mouth had fallen open in shock upon the realization that Duncan was serious about eliminating her friend. "But…but…_I_ was the one who set up your elimination, not Sammy!" _

"_That's a lie," Duncan accused, "you told me you had second thoughts before the elimination, but Sammy had gone ahead with the plan without double checking with you. True or false?" _

"…" _Gwen was silent for a moment, and her pale face had knit itself into a scowl. "True," she grit out._

_Duncan stopped leaning against the tree and threw his hands over his head in exasperation. "Well there you have it, you me and Beardo will vote for her tonight, and that's that." _

"_But Sammy's my friend, Duncan!" Gwen told him, as if he somehow didn't know the fact. "I'm not voting for her. Are you crazy?" _

_Duncan just rolled his eyes. "Are _you_ crazy?" He shot back. "Because just incase you forgot, you agreed to vote with me every ceremony until the merge." _

"_There's no way you're actually going to force me to do this!"_

_Duncan scoffed, his tone and expression the perfect picture of apathy. "Uh, yeah Gwen, I am. You're the one that accepted the deal. I'm not out of line for wanting Sammy gone." _

"_Maybe not, but you're out of line for getting me to backstab my friend!" Gwen shook her head, "I won't do it." _

"_Yes you will," Duncan laughed, now getting angry himself. "Huff and puff all you want, Gwen. I just knew you'd be like this."_

_Gwen put her hands on her hips, venom in her tone, "be like what, exactly?" _

"_You talk like you want to come back and play hard, making deals with me to stay," Duncan drawled, glaring at his ex-lover. "But when push comes to shove, you back out because you don't wanna hurt your 'friends'." He used air quotes. "Psh, like you and Sammy are actually friends." _

_Gwen just gaped at him, anger, shock and hurt all mixed across her face. "You…you…" _

_Duncan just watched Gwen struggled to form woods, looking completely unbothered by her anger and hurt. _

"_You haven't changed at all," she finally spat out, "you're the same dirty piece of trash I dated when we were younger." _

_If she had intended to hurt Duncan, then it was mission accomplished. "Watch your mouth," he growled, "I've changed a _lot_ since then. Just because I'm making a game move you don't like doesn't negate that." _

_But Gwen wasn't listening. She turned on her heel and stomped deeper into the woods. _

"_Come back here, this conversation isn't over!" Duncan barked after her. _

_Gwen just responded by throwing him the bird over her shoulder._

_**~The Present~ **_

"Wow…" Bridgette said, looking a little lost for words. "That was ugly."

Gwen exhaled loudly through her nose, "You're telling me," she grumbled. "Can you believe him!?" She waited for Bridgette to voice her agreement, and maybe call Duncan a piece of garbage swine-monkey or something! Instead she was met with silence. "Bridgette? Don't tell me you agree with him?"

"I don't," Bridgette assure her quickly, "but…I do kinda see where he's coming from, Gwen."

Gwen's head snapped to face her friend, true surprise on her face. "You do?!"

"Well, yeah," The surfer rubbed her arm, a little nervous. "I mean, you said yourself that Sammy spearheaded Duncan's elimination in the second challenge, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, from a game standpoint it just makes sense for Duncan to eliminate her and keep Beardo, who's a vote with him," Bridgette reasoned, "I think you're taking it too personal. He didn't do this just to spite you."

"I don't care if it's good for his stupid game!" Gwen exclaimed, running her hand through her hair in frustration. "The fact that he asked me to betray a friend of mine is seriously messed up! Didn't you see Sammy's reaction? She hates me now!"

"She doesn't hate you," Bridgette was quick to console her friend, "she was just upset she lost, that's all. Look, I agree Duncan went about it like mega-jerk. He didn't take your feelings into consideration at all, and just figured you'd be okay with eliminating your friend. That's not cool."

"But you'd be okay with it if he had gone about it nicer?" Gwen asked her incredulously.

"No," Bridgette said quickly, "I'm just trying to look at this objectively, Gwen. He had a reason for it other than just," she dropped her voice a couple of octaves in an unflattering imitation of Duncan's voice, " 'I'm gonna make Gwen squirm just for fun, mwahaha!'. There's probably more to it than that is all I'm saying."

"He had no right," Gwen said stoutly, stubbornly crossing her arms over her knees.

Bridgette let out a sigh. "Gwen, he doesn't owe you anything. You two aren't dating anymore."

"_Excuse me_?"

Bridgette winced at the anger in Gwen's voice.

"I know we're not together!" Gwen snapped, "I'm the one who ended it, and I'd _never_ get back with him! How could you say that to me?!"

"You're the one that's acting like this is some huge betrayal of trust," Bridgette defended herself, her hands held up in a placating gesture, "like I just said, he doesn't owe you anything. It's not even like you guys were friends, right? I thought stuff was awkward between you guys."

But Gwen was no longer in the mood to talk. "I can't believe what I'm hearing." She hissed, standing up and stalking back down the hill. "I need to be alone right now!"

A sad Bridgette watched he disappear into the night.

* * *

**(Confessional: Gwen.)**

"Was I unreasonable to Bridgette?" Gwen sighs, "looking back…yeah, I think so. I was just so angry at Duncan, and her throwing our old relationship in my face really stung, even if she didn't intend it to come across like that. I guess she was right about Duncan not owing me anything, but I feel like we really were starting to build a friendship again." She hung her head, "and that made me happy…" She's silent for a moment, and when she looks back at the camera there is steely resolve in her eyes. "I might be Duncan's puppet until the merge, but the moment I can, I'm taking him _down_."

**(End Confessional: Gwen.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)**

Bridgette has her hands on her hips, weary and disgruntled as she glares at the camera. "I love Gwen, but darn it if she can't be so stubborn when she gets mad! It's like talking to a brick wall." She lowers her hands from her hips and a sigh escapes her lips. "I know she'll come around once she cools off, but that doesn't make talking to her any easier when she's like that."

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

A shiny black limo pulled up to a great stone building. Warm candlelight glowed in the windows and soft violin music could be heard from inside.

The door to the limo flew open, and Owen sprung out onto the sidewalk, an excited grin on his face.

Izzy popped out behind him, jumping onto the big boy's back. "Easy there, boy! Stay…stay…!"

Owen let out a whine, but kept his feet planted on the sidewalk as Shawn and Jasmine exited the limo on the other side.

"Crikey, this place looks incredible," Jasmine noted, gazing up at the beautiful buttress's.

"You're telling me," Shawn agreed, offering her his arm. Jasmine took it and the two passed Owen and Izzy on the way to the restaurant.

"Alright you two, be on your best behavior in there," Jasmine told them.

Izzy gave the tall girl a salute, "you got it! Even I realize the opportunity to eat at a place this nice is rare! Don't worry, we're gonna enjoy it, right Owen?"

Owen sucked a bit of drool back into his mouth. 'You betcha!" He agreed.

The four entered the restaurant, where they were immediately greeted by a beautiful host. Seriously, this guy put Alejandro to shame.

"Welcome to _Enchantique_, ladies and gentleman," he said suavely, "how may I help you this fine evening?"

The restaurant itself was gorgeous. It was classy but not stuffy. The light was dim and there was a quiet and comforting thrum of conversation throughout the place. The floor was dark and made of marble, and all the chairs and tables were made of polished mahogany and other dark woods. A fireplace crackled merrily on one wall, and chandeliers filled with candles hung over every table.

"We've got a table for four," Jasmine told the man, "it's probably under 'McLean'."

The host looked down at the booklet in front of him, running his finger down as he scanned for their name. After a second, he looked back up at them. "Yes, I have it right here. There might have been a misunderstand, though…the table we have reserved for you is meant to seat only two people…"

Their faces fell.

"That cheap bastard…" Shawn sighed.

The host looked sympathetically at the group, then craned his head to look deeper into the restaurant. "Let me see what I can do. Excuse me for a moment." He headed off into the restaurant.

"Alright, you know I love you guys," Owen said, looking at his teammates. "But if it comes down to only two of us being able to eat here…I _will_ be willing to throw hands to claim my spot."

"Easy, buddy," Shawn laughed, "I'm sure it won't come to that."

After a few minutes, the host returned with an excited looking couple that looked to be about the same age as the constants.

"These two are generously willing to give you their table, reserved for four." The host told them, "it appears they are fans of yours."

"Oh my god, we _love_ Total Drama!" The boy said, adjusting his glasses excitedly. "I can't believe the real Owen, Izzy, Shawn and Jasmine are standing right in front of us, babe!"

"I know!" The girl clapped her hands together. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, "we totally need a picture with you guys, though!"

"Aw, anything for the fans!" Izzy cooed, ushering the two over to snap a quick pic. Once they were done, the young couple waved goodbye and relocated themselves to their new table.

By the time the four arrived at their table with their host, the table had been perfectly reset. "Your waitress will be right over," the host told them, "enjoy your night."

"Thank you, my good man!" Owen replied in a poor imitation of the hosts's suave voice. The host just stared at him blankly for a second until the fat boy looked down in shame.

"I know I'm dating Owen and all," Izzy said as she pulled out her chair and sat down. "But that guy was _yummy_. Yum. Eee."

"No kidding," Jasmine grinned.

"I'll say," Owen agreed, "guy was as hot as a habanero!"

The four shared a laugh, and their waitress came over. "Welcome," she said amicably, "can I get you folks started with a drink?"

"For the sake of your restaurant, I'll forgo the alcohol tonight," Izzy said playfully, "just water for me!"

"I'll take a rum and coke!" Owen said.

"We'll split a bottle of house red," Jasmine shared a nod with her boyfriend.

"Very well, I'll be right back!" The waitress turned to leave.

"Wait a sec!" Owen said, looking around the table. He picked up his plate and searched under it, then turned to stare helplessly at the waitress. "Where are the menus?"

The waitress just giggled. "Sir, this is _Enchantique_. We have no menus here. You come for one five course meal that changes daily."

Owen put the back of his hand to his forehead, "did…did you say _five _courses?"

"Indeed! The first course should be out in a couple of minutes! I'll be right back with your drinks!"

"Pinch me," Owen said to Izzy, a dreamy smile on his face, "I must be dreaming!"

Izzy grinned and pinched the boy in the ribs, making him squawk. "Nope, not dreaming, Owen!"

Owen's grimace of pain quickly morphed into a cheesy grin. "Yay!"

* * *

**(Fancy Restaurant Bathroom Confessional: Shawn.)**

Shawn looks around the fancy bathroom. "This is kind of weird," he observes. In the background, you can see stalls and sinks. "This is a public bathroom, so I must look kind of weird just talking to a camera in here. Anyways…"

The door opens, and a random man walks in on screen. He's about to enter the stall when he sees Shawn and the cameraman. "Whoa, what kind of sick film are you trying to make here, buster?!" The man shouts, covering his crotch despite him wearing pants. "Pornography is the devils work!"

"What?!" Shawn spluttered, "no, that's not it!"

**(End Fancy Restaurant Bathroom Confessional: Shawn.)**

* * *

Duncan had finished his stormy walk through the woods. The punk was feeling very conflicted despite his display of apathy back at the bonfire.

"This bites," he said aloud as he walked down the path back towards camp. He wasn't sure if he had made the right call. At the time, it had seemed simple and easy, right? Sammy had been the one to put Gwen's early plan of eliminating him into fruition. Beardo was not only someone he liked to hang out with, but he was also a vote with him come the merge. But after seeing how mad Gwen got at him…well, it sucked.

Duncan was no fool, but he _still_ had harbored a little bit of hope that rekindling his friendship with Gwen would eventually, maybe farther down the line, lead to a rekindling of their _relationship _as well. Now, though? Yeah…it was pretty safe to say she wanted nothing to do with him.

He eventually meandered his way back into camp and set his sights on the Rec Center. He entered, intent on playing some video games, but was surprised to see someone else relaxing on one of the couches, beer in hand.

"Sup, man?" Beardo greeted him, taking a sip of his beer.

Duncan walked over and sat on the opposite couch from him. "Just looking to play some video games, take my mind off this crap," he told the beatboxer. "What are you doing here?"

Beardo shrugged. "I'm a late sleeper, and this is the perfect place to just hang out, enjoy a beer, and play some games."

Duncan chuckled, though it was pretty mirthless. "Sounds good to me. Wanna mow down some zombies?"

"Sure," Beardo agreed, getting up from the couch and firing up the TV and old game station. "Though I gotta ask man, what was up with you back then?"

Duncan crossed his arms defensively, leaning back into the couch cushions. "What do you mean?"

"I mean when you were all cold and aloof with Gwen," Beardo said, turning back to the punk and tossing him a controller, which Duncan caught with ease. "We both know you ain't actually feeling that way, so why were you doing it?"

Duncan was silent for a second, an eyebrow raised as he watched the old video game boot up on the TV. "I…don't wanna talk about it, man," he finally sighed. He turned to his friend, mildly annoyed. "Can we just hang out and play video games?"

Beardo _ding dinged_ at him, giving him a thumbs up. He mimicked a shotgun cocking sound, and the two turned to the TV screen.

* * *

The shot cut to the four Oddballs in the fancy restaurant. Empty dishes crowded their table, and all four were looking thoroughly stuffed.

Owen belched loudly, causing the couple at the next table over to give him a disgusted look. "Wow," he sighed, rubbing his swollen belly, "that was amazing! Like…_really_ amazing!"

"Yeah," Jasmine agreed, "I've never been much of a foodie myself, but crikey that was some good eats!"

Their waitress approached the table, "is there anything else I can do for you folks?"

"Is it possible to get a serving of that filet mignon to go?" Jasmine asked the waitress. To Shawn, she said, "I bet Sammy would absolutely _love_ that."

"Err, we don't usually do to-go," the waitress said hesitantly.

Jasmine looked disappointed, but Shawn put a comforting hand on his arm. "I got this," he said confidently. He waved the waitress over, who was now a little confused.

"Here, will this help things?" He asked suavely, flicking his hand out. A twenty dollar bill suddenly appeared in his fingers.

"Sir, you don't need to bribe me," the waitress sighed. "But since you _are_ VIPs, I suppose I can ask the chefs to make an exception."

"Wonderful!" Jasmine said gratefully, "thanks a lot!"

Owen giggled and tapped his pointer fingers together. "Heheh, if we're doing to-go orders, can I get half a dozen-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Owen," Jasmine interrupted with a wry smile at her teammate, "I think this is a one and done, thing."

It was the waitress's turn to be grateful as she smiled at Jasmine. "I'm afraid so, sir. My apologies."

"Aw, phooey. Don't worry about it!" Owen assured her.

Suddenly, the door to the restaurant barged open, and the restaurant went quiet.

"Oh look, Chef's here!" Izzy waved to the front.

It was true, Chef was there in a valet uniform, looking highly annoyed.

"It's time to go!" Chef barked, "I'm takin ya back to the helicopter. Now!"

"But we're waiting on some food," Shawn said, "it's…" he stopped as the waitress handed him an ornate paper bag covered with gold glitter. "Oh, it's right here. Okay, let's go!"

Owen hopped up onto the table, which shuddered under his weight. His teammates gave him a surprised look as he did so. "En-chan-ticky," he addressed the restaurant, unaware at how badly he was butchering the name of the restaurant, "you've all been lovely." He wiped a lone tear from his eye. "Thank you, and good…" the table wobbled, and Owen went careening off the side, the force of his body splintering a chair and sending a flying chair leg across the restaurant, where it nailed some old bitty in the jaw.

"My dentures!" Cried Old Bitty, as the dentures flew into someones bowl of soup.

"My soup!" Cried the poor patron.

Shawn and Izzy helped Owen up, and Jasmine brushed the wood splinters from his back. "Let's get out of here," the tall girl suggested awkwardly.

"Eh-heh-heh, sorry about you teeth there," Shawn called to the sobbing old lady. Her response was flipping him the bird, causing Shawn to hang his head in shame.

Chef eyed the four of them critically as they trudged past him and out onto the street. A black limo hummed on the curb, and the big cook got into the drivers seat.

Owen, Jasmine, Shawn and Izzy, climbed into the back of the limo, and awkward silence between them. The tubby boy picked a splinter of chair out of his lapel and flicked it out the window.

Chef eyed them from the rearview mirror. "Darn kids…"

* * *

Jo was sitting in the girls trailer. She was playing solitaire against herself, and looked around the empty space. "Where the hell is everyone?"

It was true, she was all alone. Gwen and Bridgette were currently up a cliff, and Izzy and Jasmine were off having dinner. Sammy had been eliminated, though Jo didn't know that yet.

"And what the heck is taking those Nuclear girls so long to get back? Haven't they ditched Beardo yet?" Her normally annoyed face turned a little glum. "Man, RIP to that fat bastard. He deserved better. Never would have thought that I would outlast the weirdo. Ah well, guess it just shows how awesome I am." She flipped the last card in her deck, and saw that she was unable to win her game of solitaire. "What?" She barked, slamming her palms on the table and bending down to look at the cards, "what kind of joke is this!?"

The door suddenly opened, and Jo turned her glare from her lost solitaire game to whoever was entering the trailer. "It's about time," she barked at Gwen and Bridgette, "where the heck have you been, was there a tiebreaker or something?"

"Not now, Jo," Bridgette scolded, guiding the still gloomy Gwen over to her bunk.

"And where's Blondie?" Jo continued, turning back towards the door as if expecting her to enter any minute.

"Sammy is gone," Gwen said bitterly. "She was eliminated."

Jo's eyes widened. "Whoa, really? What the hell did she do to mess up that bad? I thought Beardo messed up in the challenge."

"He did," Gwen said, "but here we are."

Jo rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Interesting…very interesting…" she ignored the dirty look sent her way by Bridgette, and returned to her card game.

In the distance, the noise of a helicopter began to slowly get louder and louder. It seemed Team Oddball had returned.

Gwen climbed into her bunk and threw the covers over herself, not even bothering to change into her pajamas. Bridgette had left the trailer to get changed into PJs and brush her teeth. Jo was now playing a new game of solitaire.

After a few minutes, laughter could be heard outside the two trailers. Jo and Gwen heard Izzy and Jasmine say goodnight to Owen and Shawn, and then the footsteps leading up to there trailer. The door opened, and Jasmine crouched under the doorframe to enter.

"Oi, Sammy," she called, "I brought you some steak. It's bloody delicious." She looked around the trailer, noticing her absence. "Oh, is she in the loo or something?"

"She's in the Boat of Losers, more like," Jo said rudely, not bothering to take her eyes off the cards.

"Very funny," Jasmine rolled her eyes, tossing the bag of steak onto the table. Jo reached to grab it, but Jasmine smacked her hand away.

Jo rubbed her slapped appendage, glaring at the taller girl. "Hey, what gives?"

"I said that's for _Sammy_," Jasmine reiterated, glaring right back. "Paws off!"

"And _I_ said that Blondie is probably sobbing on the Boat of Losers right about now," Jo fired back. "Don't believe me? Ask her teammate!"

The realization that Jo might be telling the truth began to dawn on Jasmine, and she quickly turned to Gwen. "Wait, is she being serious?" She asked the goth, who was facing the wall of the trailer, back to the girls. "Did you guys eliminate Sammy?"

Gwen rolled over to look at Jasmine, and her look told Jasmine everything she needed to know before she opened her mouth. "Yeah, she's gone," Gwen told her sadly.

Jasmine blinked, at a loss for words. The first thing that popped into her mind was that the rest of the team found out about Sammy sabotaging the Alphas back during the jet ski challenge. In her opinion, she could understand why that would fracture trust of Sammy, or make her seem dangerous enough to take out before the merge. "Er, what the heck happened to make Sammy leave?"

A shadow passed over Gwen's face. "_Duncan_ happened," she spat out, turning back to face the wall. "I'm sorry she's gone," she mumbled, "she was my friend too."

"Aw, sorry Jasmine," Izzy gave Jasmine a rib crushing hug, surprising the Australian as she was lifted off her feet. Because the girl was so tall, being lifted smacked her head into the roof of the trailer, and the force of the impact sent the two girls to the ground.

Jasmine rubbed her sore head, but was smiling. "Thanks, Izzy. Just goes to show you how unpredictable this game is. It's all good though, I'll see her after the show." A scowl quickly formed on her face, "though I might need to have a little _chat_ with Duncan. Sounds like he was up to some real skullduggery."

"Yeah, yeah, truly atrocious," Jo agreed, her hand inching across the table towards the bag of leftovers. "So, uh, can I eat this since your pal is gone or whatever?"

"No!" Jasmine snapped, snatching the bag away from her. "I'll give it to someone else, not you!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Jo whined.

"Maybe you shouldn't have been such a jerk to her, Jo!" Izzy added unhelpfully, now stretched out on the floor of the trailer like a cat.

"She shouldn't take it personally," Jo defended herself, "I'm like that to _everybody_!"

* * *

Noah and Lightning were relaxing in their trailer too. Well, Noah was relaxing; lounging on his bed and reading a book.

Lightning, on the other hand, was doing one handed handstand push-ups. Sweat dripped down his face, making a pool on the ground. He had been silent so far, but that was about to change. "Sha-50!" He bellowed.

Noah jumped at the sudden scream, jerking up and slamming his head into the top of the trailer. He hit his pillows with a pained groan.

"Sha-51!" Lightning screamed, his neck muscles bulging with the force of his scream. "Sha-52! Sha-53!"

"Do you mind?" Noah asked the jock, still holding his bruised head. "I'm trying to read here, Lightning!"

Lightning was too tired to hear the boy, and his loud counting and just turned into an endless, agonized scream as he forced his body to the limit.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Owen and Shawn ran in, both looking alarmed.

"What in the late, great Benedict Cumberbatch is going on here?!" Owen exclaimed, still in his fancy suit.

"Uh, Benedict Cumberbatch is still alive, dude," Shawn told him.

"Oh really?" Owen smiled, "thank goodness! I love his eggs!"

"Eggs Benedict isn't named after him," Noah face-palmed.

Owen's smile vanished, and his eyes narrowed at the bookworm. "Well don't you just know _everything_, Mr. Smarty Pants!"

Noah instantly looked guilty. "Owen, wait…"

But Owen had already turned on his heel and pranced out of the trailer, huffing loudly as he did so.

Shawn watched Owen go, mildly surprised. "What's his deal?" He asked the two Team Alpha members.

"It's nothing," Noah sighed, "he's just mad at me that I voted for Izzy."

"Why?" Lightning asked, having ceased his eternal scream, "it's not like they're dating."

"Uh, actually they _are_ dating," Shawn corrected.

"Oh," Lightning blinked. "Well Noah didn't have a choice! Zoey was immune, and he and Lightning are working together!"

Shawn rubbed his chin, looking at the two guys. "Hmmm…"

* * *

**(Confessional: Owen.)**

Owen is glaring at the camera and surrounded by green fumes. "Noah has some nerve scolding me after voting for Izzy!" He tells the camera crossly, "he hasn't even approached me to apologize!" As he's talking, he unbuttons his pants and sits on the Confessional. "Furthermore…"

Frantic footsteps are heard from outside the Confessional, and the door flies open to reveal an angry Chris in a bathrobe and a facemask. "Owen!" He barked, making the boy yelp, "what did I tell you about using the Confessional as a toilet?!" The green fumes washed over his face and he gagged. "Dude, come _on_!"

Owen looked down in shame, and his stomach rumbled again. "Save yourself, Christopher," he mumbled, "for you are too late!"

Chris's eyes widened, and he ran out of the Confessional. Owen ripped a fart so massive that the camera cut to static.

**(End Confessional: Owen.)**

* * *

The camera cut to the next morning. The eleven remaining campers stood outside, having just finished up breakfast. A happy tune played, and the logos of the three teams materialized over their respective groups.

Chris stood in front of the three teams, arms folded behind his back as he paced up and down in front of the Mess Hall. "Alright campers, it's time for your next challenge! We're giving a nod back to yet ANOTHER classic challenge!"

"Another one?" Duncan asked, crossing his arms. "But we just did that stupid animal tracking challenge yesterday!"

"Yes," Chris agreed, "and now we're having a nice little callback to the cooking challenge from Season One!"

Beardo let out a triumphant sound. "Awesome! I love to cook!" He looked around, "uh, where are the ingredients?"

"Yeah, last time we had a whole _truckload_ of delicious food to choose from," Owen agreed.

"Your ingredients will come," Chris assured them, "but like I said, this has a twist to it that the first cooking challenge didn't have. You'll have to win the food you'll be cooking!"

The campers didn't really understand what he meant, and the host was met with lots of blank stares. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Here's what I mean. Each team selects one person to participate in the first part of the challenge. Chef will be shooting dodgeballs at you out of his high-powered hydraulic dodgeball launcher. Each dodgeball has a genre of food on it." He held up a dodgeball, and branded into the plastic was the word "_Italian_". Any ball you catch, you have the option of cooking in that style. You can also pick up a ball from the ground, but you're going to waste valuable time getting nailed by Chef while you do it."

The campers all nodded, so Chris asked for volunteers.

"I got this!" Beardo said, eager to make up for his mistakes in the previous challenge.

"You sure, dude?" Duncan asked him. "No offense, but I'm a little bit more built for this whole dodgeball thing than you are."

Beardo pat his gut, mimicking an exaggerated sloshing sound. "Fair enough, man. But still, I got this. I know exactly what kind of food will win us this challenge. I just hope Chris cared enough to include it."

Chris overheard the beatboxer, "there's over 40 different kinds. I'm pretty sure we have it." He eyed Beardo's husky frame, "though I don't think 'Doritos and Twinkies' is a food genre."

Beardo blushed, looking down in embarrassment.

"Hey!" Bridgette scolded, coming to the defense of her teammate. "C'mon, Chris!"

Chris just grinned at her, "not my fault that the truth hurts, all I'm saying…"

"I got this," Jasmine said to her team. The Amazonian was looking very nervous, and this didn't go unnoticed by her team.

"Everything okay, Jasmine?" Izzy asked her, "you look kind of scared!"

"Me? No, I'm fine." Jasmine said quickly, "let's get this challenge on!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Shawn and Jasmine.)**

Shawn and Jasmine sit next to each other in the Confessional. Both look a little uneasy.

"Cooking!" Jasmine buries her face in her hands. "Of all the challenges, it had to be fancy cooking?!"

Shawn pats her on the back soothingly, "it'll be alright, Jazz. We'll think of something."

"I never learned how to cook anything fancy!" Jasmine complained, "you don't _need_ that for survival! How are you gonna cook a four-course meal when you're living out in the woods?!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty bad at cooking, except for desserts," Shawn sighed. "I can frost the hell out of a cake, but that's about it." He looks at the camera hopefully. "Maybe 'Barebones Gross Forest Scavenged Meal' will be one of the categories?"

**(End Confessional: Shawn and Jasmine.)**

* * *

"I'll do it," Noah volunteered, surprising most of his team.

"I thought you hated dodgeball," Jo said suspiciously.

"With a burning passion," Noah agreed. "But I also have the sneaking suspicion that I'm the only one that knows how to cook worth a damn on this team."

"Lightning knows how to make over two hundred different meals!" Lightning protested.

"I don't think protein shakes and boiled chicken will knock Chris's socks off, dude," Noah told him dryly. "When you grow up the youngest of nine in an Indian household, you pick up a few things. I just need to get the Indian food dodgeball."

"Alright," Chris piped up, "volunteers, step forward!"

Beardo, Noah and Jasmine walked up. Chris tossed them each a pair of safety goggles.

"What are these for?" Jasmine asked, looking down at the goggles. "Dodgeballs are huge, it's not like they'll hit us just in the eye."

"It's to catch your eyeballs," Chris explained, "in the event you get hit in the back of the head and they go propelling out of your skull." He shot the three a wink, then ran off-screen. "Good luck!"

The three heard an ominous '_click-click_' behind them, and whipped around to see Chef with a high-powered looking weapon. There was a wide hose attached to the magazine, which led to a kiddy-pool filled with dodgeballs.

"Get ready, suckas!" Chef bellowed. He opened fire on them.

Noah was immediately flattened by a ball after taking it to the face, and he hit the ground with a grunt.

Jasmine caught the first two thrown at her, but saw that they were "Uruguayan" and "Botswanaian". Having no clue what to do with those, she threw them over her shoulder.

Noah picked himself off the floor just to get nailed in the ass by another ball. He went flying.

Beardo ducked under a ball, and it hit a tree behind him with such force that it got stuck into the bark. He looked at it, and saw 'Italian' on it. This proved to be a costly mistake, though, as he got nailed in the back by a ball.

Jasmine caught another two balls, eventually settling on the one labeled 'French'. She ran back to her team with the ball, showing it to them. "Seems good enough, yeah?" She asked the others, who just shrugged.

Noah was scrambling around, tanking dodgeballs and collecting bruises as he looked for the ball labeled 'Indian'. Eventually, he located it, and grabbed it with an excited look in his eyes. He rejoined his team.

Beardo was left scrambling in the search for his ball, but time was running out.

"Ten seconds, Beardo!" Chris called from the sidelines.

Knowing his time was almost up, he grabbed the nearest ball and ran back to his team with a sad trombone sound.

"And…time! Campers, reveal your food genre!"

"We've got French," Jasmine tossed the ball to Chris, who caught it and nodded.

Noah tossed his ball to Chris, but it was short by about twenty yards. Chris gave him a flat look, to which Noah just shrugged in a 'what did you expect' kind of way.

Chris clapped his hands, and an intern ran onscreen to grab the ball and give it to Chris. Chris looked at it and announced, "Team Alpha have to cook me an Indian meal!" He turned to Beardo and the rest of the Nuclears. "Alright, Beardo you can't have more than one ball, so pick which one you want already!"

Beardo looked down at the one ball in his hands and then at Chris, confused. "Uhhh…huh?"

Chris pointed to above his head, and Beardo looked up. While he didn't see anything, he could feel a dodgeball fall deeper into his afro. Confused, he reached up and plucked it from its silky prison. He let out a triumphant noise as he took in what was written on the ball. He punted the American ball all of five yards before tossing the new one to Chris.

"And Team Nuclear is cooking me a Cajun meal! Very interesting," Chris noted. "Give my interns five minutes to set everything up, then its cooking time! This time, you'll only be making _two_ courses, since each team has way less people. The only requirement is that you _must_ do a main course! You can choose to do either an appetizer and a main, or a main and a dessert. Whichever you prefer." He checked his watch. "Alright, you guys can head in now. You have four hours to cook whatever you need!"

The eleven campers ran into the Mess Hall. Three tables had been set up with a plethora of ingredients pertaining to their respective types of food. The camera focused on Team Alpha as Lightning, Jo and Noah examined their ingredients.

"Alright, Gord-an-oah Ramsay," Jo said, tossing a bag of rice in her hands. "What's the oh-so-great plan you have?"

"We're going simple and wholesome," Noah said calmly. The young man was currently skimming through a crate full of little bags of spices, occasionally plucking one out and putting it to the side. "I think we should do a vegetable curry on rice. Then we'll do a dessert. We'll make _Gulab Jamun_."

"Goo-what now?" Lightning asked.

"Gulab Jamun," Noah repeated. "It's easy. I'll probably leave Jo on it unsupervised, so Lightning and I can focus on the curry." He looked at the jockette, "think you can handle it?"

"Of course," Jo waved a hand, "just tell me what to do and I'll do it perfectly."

"Okay, good." Noah said, "Cook some milk on low heat until all the liquid is gone. You'll be left with some milk solids. Sugar it lightly, add a touch of flour, then knead it into balls. Then we deep fry them and dip them in a glaze. We serve them still warm."

"That sounds ridiculously unhealthy," Lightning crossed his arms.

"But also kind of delicious," Jo admitted. "Sounds easy enough."

"Feel free to check in with me if you need a refresh," Noah told her.

Jo nodded. "Whatever you say, Yes-ah." She pushed the bookworm aside and began grabbing the ingredients she needed.

Noah gave her an annoyed look, but let it drop and turned to Lightning, "Okay, do you know how to make rice?"

"Sure thing," Lightning said, "rice is good for you, so Lightning can make it!"

"Good. Get a couple pounds going," Noah told him. "Then grab some veggies and cut them up pretty small. I'm going to get working on this curry sauce."

"Whatever you say, dude," Lightning grinned, "the Lightning is _on_ it!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Noah.)**

"Huh," Noah looks surprised, "leading is actually kind of gratifying. Who knew I could relate to Courtney or Heather?" he shivers, "ugh, that's gross."

**(End Confessional: Noah.)**

* * *

"You seem pretty stoked," Duncan told Beardo, who was humming happily to himself as he poked through the ingredients.

"Cajun food is my favorite," Beardo explained. "My grandma and grandpa still live in Louisiana, so I used to have their home-cookin in the summers when I went to see them." He smiled warmly at the memories, "so yeah, I learned how to cook up some of that stuff. Should be able to knock Chris's socks off with this." He mimicked a sproingy boxing glove.

"Awesome, Beardo!" Bridgette cheered, though her enthusiasm died down a little. "Though…I don't have any idea how to cook Cajun food. You'll have to direct me."

"Same here," Gwen agreed.

"I third it," Duncan added, walking up to the guy and clapping him on the shoulder. "It's all you, big guy."

Beardo nodded, his face full of determination. "I won't let you guys down. We're gonna make my grandmas famous New Orleans Jambalaya. For desert," he cracked his knuckles and made the noise of a shotgun cocking, "_beignets_!"

"Been-yays?" Duncan repeated. "What are those?"

Gwen scoffed at him. "Beignets, idiot. It's basically fancy fried dough."

"Excuse me for not knowing Cajun food," Duncan said defensively, shooting a glare at Gwen. "Remind me to call you an idiot next time you don't know something random."

Gwen growled at him. "That's rich!"

Duncan took a step forward, "you wanna say something else?"

"Guys!" Bridgette elbowed her way between the two and shoved them back. "Enough!" Her tone was snappish, and took both Gwen and Duncan off-guard. "We are a team and we're going to act like it!" She glared fiercely at both of them. "I don't care if you wanna ignore each other between challenges, but we're going to work as a team during these challenges so we don't have to eliminate anyone else! Because, so help me God, if we lose because of you two I don't care how long we've been friends, I'll send your butts down the Dock of Shame without a second thought!"

She finished her rant, eyes wild and chest heaving, daring either one to talk back.

Both Duncan and Gwen glanced at each other, then back at the steaming surfer.

"Fine," they both said at the same time, giving each other one last skeptical look.

Duncan stepped forward, offering a fist bump. "Truce?" He asked Gwen.

Gwen looked at the fist, and turned her shoulder. "Fine," she spat, not accepting the fist bump. "But only because Bridgette wants it."

The two walked off in opposite directions, and Bridgette watched them go, hands on her hips.

Beardo slid up beside her, mimicking a slide whistle as he did. "That," he said in awe, "was dope." He offered the surfer a fist bump of his own.

Bridgette flushed a little and accepted the fist bump, giggling when Beardo mimicked a little explosion and propelled his fist backwards. "I don't know what got into me. I hate seeing them fight because I know deep down they still care for one another."

"Must be hella deep down." Beardo observed.

"Yeah, must be…"

* * *

**(Confessional: Bridgette.)**

"This can't keep going on," Bridgette laments, "I _know_ Gwen still wants to be friends with Duncan deep down. That's _why_ she's so mad about this Sammy thing. I need to make her see that Duncan is just being defensive, and that his original plan wasn't to just antagonize Gwen!" She pinches the bridge of her nose, "but how to make her see that while remaining neutral…that'll be tough."

**(End Confessional: Bridgette.)**

* * *

"Alright!" Owen whooped, "let's get _cooking_, baby!" He ran over to the ingredients table and instantly plucked a block of cheese from it. In one swift motion, he ripped the wrapper off the cheese and downed the block in one bite.

"Owen!" Jasmine scolded, "we needed that!"

"Nah, we didn't," Owen responded, licking cheese crumbs from his lips. "We need this kind of cheese!" He held up another block. "But only about half…heheheh…" he reached to unwrap it, but Jasmine quickly yanked it from his hands.

"Owen, we need to be serious, here," she told him sternly. "This is the first challenge we've had that has us at a disadvantage from the get-go." She looked at the rest of her team. "So, what are we cooking?"

"Let's do a steak!" Izzy suggested, "that's super French-y!"

"There's steak here," Shawn noted, rifling through all the ingredients and coming up with some sealed beef. He examined the label. "Filet mignon. Is that good?"

"The best," Owen said dreamily. "We can cook it up real nice, with pepper and garlic! Medium rare, with mashed potatoes!"

"Since I actually know how to bake, I can make a nice cake for dessert," Shawn suggested.

"Good," Jasmine said quickly, "we'll leave that to you, babe. Izzy and I will work on the steak."

"What about me?" Owen asked.

"Just stay out of our way…and _don't eat anything else_!"

Owen flinched, "aw, c'mon! I can help! I promise I won't lose control!"

"Like you did for the Gophers back in season one?" Izzy supplied helpfully.

"Yeah!" Owen agreed, "like when I couldn't help myself from devouring those succulent…delicious…" his eyes glazed over, and he began to drool again. "_Ribs_…"

Shawn snapped his fingers in front of his face, bringing him back to reality.

"What was I saying?" The big guy blinked, "Oh yeah…" he hunched over, defeated. "Maybe I _should_ sit this one out."

"You don't need to sit this out, mate," Jasmine told him. "You wanted to make mashed potatoes, right? I think we can entrust you to do that."

"Make a bunch," Izzy suggested, "so if you get hungry you can have some!"

"Good idea, Izzy!" Owen clapped his hands. He yanked a couple of twenty pound bags of potatoes off the ingredients table and began swinging them like nunchucks. "I'll make the best darn mashed potatoes this side of Ontario!"

All three Oddballs calmly dodged each rapid swing of the potato bags, looking rather unbothered as they continued to examine the ingredients.

"Looks like they don't have cake mix," Shawn said, bobbing and weaving around the table to dodge Owen's potato-chucks, "I'll have to do it from scratch."

"Sounds good. You going to go for chocolate or vanilla?" Jasmine reached a hand out behind her and grabbed the bag of potatoes, ripping it from Owen's grasp and plopping back on the table.

"Chocolate," Shawn responded, beginning to load up his arms with different ingredients. "I dunno, sounds more Frenchy to me."

"Alright, let's get working, team!" Jasmine thumped her fist into her palm. "We can do this!"

* * *

"How is the Gulab Jamun coming?" Noah asked, wiping his hands on an apron as he approached Jo.

Jo was covered in flour and looking heavily disgruntled. She turned to glare at the approaching nerd. "Its going fine," she told him, obviously defensive.

"Cool, you have the milk solids done?"

"Yeah, and they're dropped in flour. I'm just heating up the deep frier," she told him.

"Good. Make sure you make a glaze for it. Just heat up some water and sugar."

Jo nodded, and turned to start making it. "How's working with Dumbass-ning? You guys got the curry going?"

Noah nodded. "Yup, we're coming along nicely. He's surprisingly good at following directions."

Jo scoffed, "well color _me _surprised. Maybe we can actually pull this off."

"Yeah," Noah agreed, "the Oddballs aren't exactly culinary experts and the Nuclear are such a mess that we might be able to squeak by easily."

"Let's hope."

The two suddenly heard a crash, and turned to see Lightning hastily scooping rice off the floor and back into the pot.

"Lightning, what did you do!?" Jo groaned.

"Whoops, his hand slipped!" Lightning said sheepishly, "uh, Lightning will just scoop it back in."

"We can't give Chris floor-rice!" Noah smacked his forehead, "make another batch!"

Jo turned back to her Gulab Jamun, "yeah, good luck with that," she rolled her eyes, her tone snarky.

* * *

The cooking of all teams was progressing steadily. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Team Oddballs steak was sizzling nicely in a pan. Owen had added garlic to the mashed potatoes and Shawn's cake was in the process of being frosted.

The Gulab Jamun was finished and glazed, and was in the process of cooling down. Jo was looking rather proud of herself, guarding it against any nonexistent enemies. The vegetable curry had come together nicely despite Lightning's wipe-out with the rice, and Noah was putting the finishing touches on it as it bubbled on the stove.

Beardo had a huge smile on his face, sprinkling different spices into his pot of jambalaya and stirring it constantly. He had added chicken, shrimp, broccoli, onion, celery, and red peppers, along with a bunch of rice. Gwen had been helping him with it and couldn't help but look at it longingly. It looked delicious. Bridgette and Duncan had arguably less success with the beignets. They weren't pretty, but they seemed to be cooked alright. The two ex-Bass looked down at them, clearly a little nervous about the quality.

Chris walked into the Mess Hall, inhaling deeply. "Wow, smells good in here, guys!" He complimented, "you have five minutes until time is up. Get those finishing touches done!"

Tense music began to play as the eleven remaining campers hurried to finish their meals.

"Remember, presentation counts too," Chris reminded them. "So make it look snazzy!"

The music swelled between cuts to a clock ticking away, and it wasn't long before Chris clapped his hands loudly, garnering the attention of everyone cooking. "Alright campers, that is _time_!" He told them excitedly. "For the sake of suspense, I won't be revealing the scores until I've tasted every single dish! We'll be going alphabetically, so Team Alpha come on up!"

Noah and Jo approached, each holding a dish of food.

"So, tell me what I'll be eating," Chris told them.

"You've got a pretty standard vegetable curry on rice here," Noah explained, setting it down in front of the host.

"Nice colors, it looks delish," Chris noted. "Though I do kinda wish you had put some meat in it…" he grabbed his fork and scooped up some. After shoveling it in his mouth with all the grace of a crazed chimpanzee, he swallowed and dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

"Tasty," he admitted, "but I stand by my meat comment! What's the next dish?"

Jo thumped down her plate of glazed, fried milk solids in front of him. The force of it started Chris, and he looked up at the jockette a little apprehensively.

"So…what is this?"

"Fried milk solids," Jo told him, "glazed in sugar."

Chris pulled a face. "_Milk solids_? That sounds gross!"

"Just try one, dude!" Lightning scoffed.

Chris grabbed one of the balls and popped it into his mouth. At first he seemed queasy and displeased, but that look slowly ebbed off his face, replaced by one of surprise.

"Wow," he mused, "it's actually pretty good!" He pushed the plate away, "Alright, thank you Team Alpha! Team Nuclear, you guys are up next!"

In a are show of confidence, Beardo eagerly stepped forward with his jambalaya. He gave it to the host, who looked at it in confusion. "Well, it doesn't _look_ particularly appetizing," he mused, noting it's lumpy brown-ness. "What is it?"

"Louisiana jamabalya," Beardo said, his brittle confidence shattered by Chris's skepticism. Sweat shone on his anxious face, and he hurriedly wiped it away with a towel. "It's got shrimp, chicken, celery-"

"Don't need a breakdown of the recipe, thank you very much…" Chris interrupted, putting his hand on the boy's face and shoving him away. "Just let me eat in peace."

Beardo stumbled back, but was caught by Bridgette and Duncan before he could hit the floor. The big guy gulped as Chris ate a spoonful.

"Don't worry, man," Duncan reassured him, "if the smell is anything to go by, it should blow his stupid mind."

Chris's eyes widened in surprise, and he removed the spoon and tapped it thoughtfully against his chin. "Interesting…very interesting…" He mused, "it's got quite a bit of kick to it."

"I-is that good?" Beardo squeaked out.

Chris just smirked at him. "You'll have to wait and find out, my man. Where's the next course?"

"Right here," Bridgette said, grabbing the platter of beignets and offering it to Chris.

Chris looked down at the pules of lumpy dough. His expression showed complete underwhelm. "Not gonna lie, these look like crap."

"Just shut up and eat one," Duncan scoffed.

The host shrugged and took one. He tried to bite into it, but the dough stretched out, making it difficult for him to break a piece off. Eventually it snapped and whipped back, hitting him in the eye. "Ow!" He rubbed his sore eye, and sucked the dough back into his mouth.

Bridgette and Duncan exchanged an anxious look.

"Okay…that was something." Chris rolled his eyes, "Oddballs, you're up!"

Owen approached the table, in a formal waiters attire. He also had a pencil thin mustache, though it was anyones guess on how he got it. Balanced on the end of one hand was a silver platter, covered with a lid.

"Good evening, sir," Owen greeted Chris in a gravelly voice.

"It's like 1 o clock, dude."

Owen ignored him, "today we have a filet mignon seasoned with peppercorn and garlic, with mashed potatoes on the side."

"Ooh, sounds good."

Owen inclined his head, eyes squinted to tight he could barely see out of them, "very good, sir. We here at Oddballnifique are happy to hear it." He lifted the lid of the tray, unveiling a pile of juicy-smelling steam. There, on the platter, was an eight-ounce steak, sizzling and crispy on the outside. The mashed potatoes were white and fluffy looking, and the whole thing smelled divine,.

"Wow!" Chris looked impressed, "I am _excited_ to try this!" He grabbed his fork and knife and, with some effort, cut off a piece of the steak. He dunked it in the mashed potatoes and put the whole forkful in his mouth. After chewing it over real good, he swelled and nodded his head. "Alright, and what's the next course?"

"We have a homemade chocolate cake, sir," Owen replied. Shawn came forward with a slice of the cake. It looked amazing! The cake itself was glistening and dark brown, obviously moist and sweet. The frosting was seamlessly added, with just the right thickness. He had even made little frosting flowers on the outside, which looked adorable.

"That looks _bomb_," Chris whistled, "though I am kind of bummed none of you went for the appetizer route." Nevertheless, he grabbed his fork and went to town on the cake. The four Oddballs shared a surprised look as Chris's fork returned to the cake again and again, until it was all gone. Satisfied, the host belched. "Yum. That was some good cake.

Shawn pumped his fist, and shared a high-five with Izzy.

"Alright, let's see here," Chris looked over the three teams, "it's gonna be a close one, that's for sure…" He went silent, lifting ah and to thoughtfully caress his stubble. "Hmmm…"

The eleven campers waited with baited breath, unsure of what the outcome was going to be.

"I'll be announcing the team that placed middle of the road first," Chris told them. "The team in _second_ place is…

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Team Alpha!"

The three members of Team Alpha erupted into cheers.

"Sha-safe!" Lightning hooted, high-fiving Noah.

"It was all thanks to my sweet Gulab whatevertheheck!" Jo boasted, grinning arrogantly.

The members of Team Oddball and Team Nuclear looked at each other, nervousness etched across their faces as they waited for Chris' final verdict.

"The _winning_ team, and the other team safe from elimination tonight is…

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Team Nuclear!"

Duncan smashed his palms together, then punched the air. "Yes! Let's go!"

Gwen and Bridgette embraced each other, and Beardo trumpeted out a victorious melody.

The four members of Team Oddball gasped. Owen and Izzy clutched each other, while Jasmine looked annoyed.

"But you ate Shawn's whole cake! How do we end up in last place?!"

"Well, Jasmine, this is why!" Chris turned the plate of steak towards them, so they could see the inside of the steak. The inside was as brown as the outside. "The steak was well-done!"

Duncan clutched his heart. "You made filet mignon well-done? That hurts the soul, man…"

Jasmine smacked her forehead. "Of course! You want E coli, mate?"

Chris just shook his head. "You poor thing. Also, mashed potatoes are more of a British thing, not French. If you wanted to give me French potatoes, you should've gone for some _pomme frites_."

"Some what now?" Shawn asked, scratching at his beanie.

"French fries, dude….jeez." The host stood up and clapped his hands. "It doesn't matter anyways. Team Oddball, you guys lose! Team Nuclear, congratulations on your very first win!"

"Nice job, man!" Duncan said to Beardo, "we couldn't have done it without you!"

Beardo beamed at his teammates. "My pleasure, guys!" He turned hopefully to the host. "So, uh…is there any reward for coming in first? Like last time?"

"Yeah, the reward is you don't have to eliminate someone," Chris said flatly.

"But team Alpha got that reward too and they didn't win…" Gwen pointed out.

Chris strolled over to the goth and threw an arm around her, surprising her. "Here's an idea," he told her amicably. "Shut your face!"

Gwen threw his arm off and glared at him. "Jerk."

Chris just laughed at her and started to head out of the Mess Hall. "Alright. Team Oddball and Team Alpha, you guys are on clean-up duty. Chef wants this Mess Hall spotless before he starts cooking dinner. Team Nuclear, you guys get to relax for the rest of the day, and you get one all-expense paid trip to the Tuck Shoppe. Enjoy it!"

Duncan rubbed his hands together, "oh we are _so_ getting a ton of beer."

Beardo mimicked the noise of a beer bottle opening and high-fived Duncan. "Let's get it," he rasped.

"Why do we have to clean up?" Noah complained. "I'm tired!"

"Because I said so, Mr. Forehead," Chris replied. "Now get to it!"

* * *

**(Confessional: Beardo.)**

"Man!" Beardo smiles at the camera, "it feels so good to come in clutch for my team. It's like a dream come true, especially after my mess up last time!"

**(End Confessional: Beardo.)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Jasmine.)**

Jasmine stretches out her arms, a serious expression on her face. "I guess this is it," she says sternly. "I'll be going up against Izzy tonight. I'll have to win. I bet she's getting ready for it right now."

**(End Confessional: Jasmine)**

* * *

**(Confessional: Izzy.) **

Izzy has the plate of the steak in her lap, and tears off a chunk with her hands and pops it into her mouth. "Yum! Best shoe leather I've ever had!"

**(End Confessional: Izzy.)**

* * *

The Mess Hall was nearly clean. Team Alpha was in the kitchen, washing up the dishes while the Oddballs were out in the eating area, re-setting the tables in their proper position and cleaning up any garbage or unused dirty food.

Lightning hummed to himself, his forearms hidden in the sudsy sink as he washed up plates, pans and other kitchen utensils. Next to him, a bored Noah was sorting and stacking the dirty plates so that Lighting could grab them easily.

Jo was polishing a plate with a rag, peering out through the kitchen window at the silent Oddballs. "Who do you think those Oddballs are gonna drop?" She asked Noah and Lightning.

Lightning removed his hand from the suds, revealing frilly pink gloves on his hands. He tapped his chin, spreading suds on his goatee. "Lightning doesn't know. Hopefully not the Fat Guy, though. They need to get rid of a threat!"

Noah scowled, but ignored the unintentional jab at his friend. "I hope Jasmine goes. From what I know the two guys on that team are tight, so it'll probably be a tie between the two couples."

"Izzy vs Jasmine?" Jo pondered, placing the plate on a stack of clean ones and grabbing another. "Huh, I could see it. I think Izzy would probably destroy that Australian giant, though."

"Wishful thinking, dude," Lightning retorted. The jock re-submerged his hands and resumed his scrubbing. "Jasmine's a monster. Crazy Girl don't got a chance."

"I think it'll be close," Noah mused, "but I guess we'll just have to see…"

Meanwhile, out with the Oddballs, things were a little awkward. Only Izzy seemed to be unbothered, and she whistled happily as she swept up bits of cheese and flour into a dustpan. "So!" The redhead chirped, "you ready to duke it out, Jasmine?"

Jasmine and Shawn exchanged a look. "I guess," the Australian said hesitantly.

"Aw, come on guys!" Owen said anxiously. The big guy had his hands bunched his tent-sized shirt as he looked between all three of his friends. "I know this sucks, but we're all still friends, right?"

The survivalist couple exchanged another look. "Err…yeah," Jasmine said awkwardly. "But…"

"But that doesn't mean she's not gonna try her best to win the tiebreaker," Shawn came to his girlfriends rescue. He walked over and clapped Owen on the shoulder. "Trust me, man, we're all pals here. But this _is_ Total Drama. And we're here to win it, just like everyone else."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Izzy cackled, rubbing her hands together. "You better bring it, Jazzy-man, because Izzy is gonna getcha!"

Jasmine just smirked confidently down at her, "oh don't you worry about that, Shiela. It will be _brung_."

* * *

Dinner came and went, went and came, and then came and went again. Dinner must have had one of those special pills.

Eventually, the Oddballs were called down to the elimination ceremony. The eyes of the Nuclears and the Alphas followed them as the powerful team headed down the dark path towards the elimination area.

"It's about time they lost," Gwen muttered to her team as they filed out.

Conversation was nonexistent between the four as they slowly trudged towards their doom. Shawn and Owen, while assumedly safe in their positions, were both very anxious at the prospect of losing their girlfriends. Jasmine and Izzy were steeling themselves for what they both knew would be an incredibly tough tiebreaker.

Eventually, the firelit area came into view, and along with it came Chris's smiling mug.

"Oddballs," he greeted, "it's been a while! Since the first challenge, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, what can I say," Shawn smirked, "we know how to win challenges."

"Except for this one, apparently."

Shawn looked down in shame.

Burn successfully delivered, Chris lifted up a plate with only three marshmallows on it. "Only three marshmallows here, guys. Let's get right to it, since I don't think there's too much suspense here. The first marshmallow goes to Owen."

Owen caught his marshmallow, but deigned not to eat it. He was still looking uneasy.

"Also safe tonight is…Shawn!"

Shawn caught his marshmallow, but unlike Owen popped it right into his mouth.

"Jasmine, Izzy, this is the final marshmallow of the night." He showed the marshmallows to the two girls, who were both determined. "It goes to…

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neither of you, yet! Because…it's a tie!"

Izzy and Jasmine both nodded and stood up. "Bring on the tiebreaker, Chris!"

"Oh we will…" Chris rubbed his hands together. "You see, we were pretty sure that it was going to be a tie between you two ladies, so we had a bit of time to plan something special for you guys!" Her began to walk directly into the woods.

"Wait, where are you going?" Shawn called to him.

"Just follow me!" Chris replied, "I'm taking you guys to the tiebreaker site!"

The four Oddballs looked at each other nervously before following the host into the woods.

"You couldn't have at least used a path?" Jasmine complained, having to duck and swerve over the low-hanging branches that littered the woods.

"You wanna pay thousands of dollars to have tree guys come in, be my guest," Chris responded, his tone snooty.

"Hehe, Chris is just mad because he's a short king," Izzy hooted.

The five eventually arrived in a clearing, and the Oddballs gaped in shock at what was in front of them.

Glinting in the moonlight was a small cluster of buildings. The entire thing was made out of metal, which reflected the moonlight nicely. There was no other lighting present.

There were four different little buildings. The first was a solid rectangle of metal, taller than it was wide, that had no doors or windows on it. Covering the outside were spiky protrusions.

The second building had tons of pistons and levers firing at high speed, clanging noisily together in a narrow hallway.

The third building was less of a building and more of a wide net, with gaps big enough to fall through. The space to walk was very narrow, and it was easy to lose your balance and fall through the holes.

The last building wasn't a building at all, just a series of wide, metal tubes that criss crossed and intersected and made one very confusing looking maze.

"It's a race," Chris told them simply. "Start on building one, and you have to complete each obstacle. First one out of the tube maze stays, and the other gets booted. Any questions."

"Just one," Jasmine punched her hand, "when can we start?"

"Get behind the starting line, and I'll blow this when you can go," Chris pulled out an airhorn. The two girls jogged over to the starting line, and waited for Chris to start the tiebreaker. Owen and Shawn watched on fearfully from the sidelines.

"On your marks…get set…go!" Chris blew his airhorn, and the two girls took off towards the spiky building.

Jasmine got an early lead on the foot race, but it was clear Izzy and the advantage on the actual climbing part. While Jasmine was no slowpoke, Izzy limberly zoomed up the wall, bypassing the other girl in a matter of seconds.

"Eat my dust," Izzy hooted playfully. Jasmine paled as she disappeared over the top of the building. When Jasmine reached the top and looked down, Izzy had already climbed down more than halfway.

"No, eat my dust, mate!" Jasmine called down. Instead of climbing down, the Australian took a deep breath and jumped off the top of the building. It was about twenty feet up, but Jasmine tucked and rolled at the last second, avoiding any serious injury and only stumbling a little.

Izzy growled, "Nice moves, Jazzy! But it won't be enough!" She leapt from her spot on the wall, and the two raced towards the second building.

The pistons cracked and creaked, and the two girls took a second to observe what path might be optimal before risking getting smashed into the wall.

"Gonna have to be careful here," Izzy noted, "…or not! Woohoo!" The girl blitzed through the pistons, bobbing and weaving on reflex instead of using any sort of planning. It worked decently well, until she mistimed a duck and smacked her forehead on a metal beam. Fortunately the beam hadn't been powered or she might have been knocked unconscious, but it was enough to slow her down and she hit the floor, groaning.

"I'm all for spontaneity, mate!" Jasmine told her, having finally mapped out a route she wanted to take through the hammering pistons, "but there's a time and a place!" She quickly took the lead, and headed towards the end of the hallway.

Izzy sat up and groaned, rubbing the bruise on her forehead. "It ain't over yet, Tarzanette!" She hollered, shaking her fist after the retreating girl's back. She leapt to her feet and continued after the girl.

Jasmine reached the third obstacle ahead of the crazy girl and began to hop across the thin footholds. Izzy eventually reached it too, but she was slowly falling more and more behind Jasmine.

"C'mon, Izzy!" Owen called out to her, "don't give up! You can do this!"

"Let's go, Jasmine!" Shawn clapped his hands, "you're pulling away!"

Jasmine smirked as she heard this, too focused on where to plant her feet to look back at Izzy. Eventually she made it to the other side, and hopped down back on solid ground. She spared a glance at Izzy, who was only halfway across. With renewed energy, she approached the last obstacle. She stared into the gaping, dark tunnel and felt her blood run cold.

Shawn saw this and paled. "Oh no…" he whispered.

Owen looked down at him, "what's the matter?"

"She's freezing up," Shawn said, beginning to bite his nails. "Her claustrophobia is acting up!"

Back with Jasmine, she had taken her hat off her head and was wringing it between her hands, her legs still frozen in place. "Oh no…" she whispered, "it's so cramped…and dark."

Her hesitation allowed Izzy to catch up, and she had no issue rocketing into the tubes and beginning to scamper around. Jasmine remained outside, still frozen in place.

Shawn cupped his hands to his mouth and bellowed to his girlfriend. "Jasmine! Get it together! Are you a weakling!? Don't let this stupid fear get the better of you!"

Next to him, Owen flinched in surprise, both at his friends volume and the words he was saying. "Jeez, man. Go easy on her, she's obviously struggling!"

"And you don't know her like I do," Shawn countered. "Jasmine needs tough love."

It was true, it seemed to be working. Jasmine had snapped out of her trance, and was now peering into the tube, breathing shallowly. Shawn continued to shout his harsh encouragement.

"Any day now, she's getting closer! I know I'm not dating a weakling!"

That seemed to spur her on, and Jasmine let out a battle cry and dove into the tubes.

Chris, Owen and Shawn watched on eagerly. None of them could see the girls inside the metal tubes, but you could hear them clunking and clanging around. All three had their eyes glued to the exit tube, waiting to see who would emerge first. After what felt like ages and ages, a hand gripped the side of the tube.

The color of the hand…was white.

Izzy popped her head out of the tube. "Woohoo! Hey guys!"

Owen and Shawn gasped.

The redhead placed her other hand on the other side of the tube, and attempted to hoist herself out. She got her head and chest out of the tube, then suddenly stopped.

"Great Goobery Gobstoppers, Iz! C'mon!"

Izzy looked confused, and appeared to be straining. The muscles on her arms bulged as she attempted to pull herself out. "Something's got me!" She proclaimed. Suddenly, her body was tugged into the tunnel, her belly button and breasts no longer over the lip of the tube. The redhead gasped. "It's Jasmine! She's got my legs!"

"Kick her, kick her!" Owen exclaimed.

Izzy reared her leg back and attempt to smash it into Jasmine's arms to free herself, but the tough Ozzie held on and tanked the kicks.

Jasmine began to claw her way up Izzy's body, slowly gaining ground on the other girl. Soon, both of their heads were sticking out of the tube, and they were wrestling with each other, trying to slip out of the tube and be the first one completely out.

The two boys and one man watched on in awe as the two struggled. First Izzy would gain some ground, and just as she was about to slip free Jasmine would tug her back. Then Jasmine would get the upper hand, but Izzy would pull a fast one and hinder her progress. It was neck and neck.

Eventually, one girl's hand slipped on the sweaty skin of the other, and that allowed the other girl to squirm out and plant her feet under the ribcage of the other girl. Using her body as a brace, the girl propelled herself out of the tube, and landed in a heap on the ground.

Owen, Chris and Shawn gasped as the person stood up, and let out a cheer of victory. She then ran to her respective boyfriend…and lifted him off the ground in a rib-crushing hug.

"I did it!" Jasmine cheered, planting one on her boyfriends lips. Next to them, Owen collapsed to his knees as a panting and exhausted Izzy dragged herself out of the tube.

"No!" Owen howled, "not Izzy!"

Izzy propped herself up on one arm, still prone on the ground. "Don't sweat it, big O!" She wiped sweat from her brow and flicked it away to emphasize her point. "It's all good! I tried my best!" She turned to Jasmine and eventually pushed herself to her feet. She approached the still kissing couple and offered her a handshake, "good game, Jasmine!"

Jasmine broke apart from Shawn and placed him on the ground, turning to her defeated opponent. "Good game, you gave me a run for my money there, like I knew you would." Instead of shaking her hand, she gave it a high-five. "Sorry it had to end up like this."

"It's a shame," Izzy agreed, "the four of us would've _owned_ the merge!"

Chris approached the group of four. "Probably," he agreed with the now eliminated contestant, "but now you're donezo, Izzy! If you all would follow me back to the elimination area…"

The four followed Chris back, with Izzy leaping into the arms of the whimpering Owen. They eventually made it back to the elimination area, where the tray was still waiting with one marshmallow on it. Chris approached it and picked it up, turning and tossing it to Jasmine in one quick motion.

Jasmine happily caught it, and smiled down at Shawn when he wrapped her in another hug.

"Izzy, it's time for you to go." Chris gestured to her luggage, which had been packed and brought to the area by Chef.

Izzy turned to her team, a smile on her face. "Well, guys…it's been fun!"

"We're gonna miss you," Shawn said sadly.

"Yeah, you might be crazy, but you're a good kind of crazy," Jasmine grinned at her, offering her a fist bump.

Izzy accepted the fist bump, then turned to the teary Owen. She couldn't help her own pout as she looked at him. "Aww, bye Owen," she embraced him.

Owen returned the hug, surprisingly gentle, and a few tears leaked down his face and onto his shirt. "I'll miss you, Izzy! We…we can hang out after the season…right?"

Izzy giggled, "of course, silly! You and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend! I'll be expecting lots of fancy dates! Or adventures! Whichever you prefer!"

That got Owen to grin at her as they separated. "I'll start planning tonight!" He promised, "I'll see you soon!"

The two leaned in and shared a sweet, tender kiss before Izzy broke away. She bounded over to her luggage, and twirled it around, nailing Chris in the gonads as she did so.

Chris collapsed in agony, and Izzy laughed. "Whoopsie! Anyways…bye, Total Drama Generations! I'll miss ya!"

The three remaining members of Team Oddball waved to Izzy as she walked down the Dock. She tossed her luggage onto the Boat and bounded in after it. Chef, from the drivers seat, shot her an apprehensive look. He hit the gas, and the Boat of Losers sped out of sight.

The three Oddballs turned away from the Dock and were now focused on Chris, who was still whimpering on the ground.

"You okay, dude?" Shawn asked him.

"Fine," Chris replied through gritted teeth. He stumbled to his feet, his hands holding his bruised groin, and tried to give the camera his signature grin. It came off more as a pained grimace, something which would have surely shamed the likes of Topher, and managed to squeak out a closing statement. "Another one bites the dust…who will leave next? Find out…next time…on Total! Drama…Generati-ow-how-howwwww…" he collapsed back onto the ground, leaving the camera pointing at empty nature. The three Oddballs stuck their heads in frame, looking down at the host with concern as the camera faded to black.

* * *

_**Boat of Losers Clip:**_

A bead of sweat dropped down Chef's neck as he stared out over the waters. The Playa was soon approaching, and he had nearly made it without provoking..._her_. He let out a gulp, and lifted an arm to wipe his brow.

Out on the deck, Izzy hummed to herself, legs dangling over the side of hte boat and kicking merrily as she enjoyed the night breeze. "Ooh, are we going to the Playa again, Cheffy-boy?"

"Y-yeah," Chef uttered, trying to keep the girl happy. He gulped when he suddenlty felt breath on his neck. He slowly turned around to see Izzy grinning at him evilly, and the camera panned up into the moon as Chef screamed in fear.

* * *

**Voting Confessionals: **

Izzy: Jasmine and I shall do battle! Be prepared, you ebony giantess!

Jasmine: I vote for Izzy! Shelia's goin' down...

Owen: Aw man, it sucks so bad that we lost! I vote for Jasmine, though I don't wanna!

Shawn: Sorry Izzy, but Jazz is gonna crush you!

* * *

**Votes:**

_Izzy - 2 votes (Jasmine, Shawn) [Lost tiebreaker]._

_Jasmine - 2 votes (Izzy, Owen) [Won tiebreaker]._

* * *

**Team Alpha: Lightning, Noah, Jo.**

**Team Oddball: Jasmine, Shawn, Owen.**

**Team Nuclear: Gwen, Duncan, Beardo, Bridgette.**

**Eliminated: Anne Maria, Brick, Scott, Sky, Rodney, Zoey, Sammy, Izzy.**

* * *

**Reasoning for Elimination: **

Ah Izzy, one of my least favorite TD characters to write for. I just find her very challenging! Is she being too crazy? Not crazy enough? Not the right type of crazy? It tends to be a headache. In the first draft she was actually first eliminated, but I changed it early on when I realized I wanted to do Ozzy. She was then slotted to be third eliminated, but then I had Sky/Lightning be the couple that had an early end. I felt Ozzy deserved more of a slow burn, and I could do fun things with Noah trying to wingman Owen. Then I had her at sixth eliminated, but I eventually settled on eighth out when I realized Noah wouldn't be a great wingman once the team swap happened and Izzy was technically eliminated from Team Alpha. I actually had a lot of fun writing for her, but she was never meant to merge. She thus becomes the first Gen I camper to leave the show! I hope the tiebreaker did her justice, because I do think she could give Jasmine a run for her money!

* * *

**And another chapter in the books! We're down to our Final 10! Looks like Big-O could be in trouble if the Oddballs lose again...**

**Did you guys enjoy the chapter? Let me know in a review! I don't have too much to say in this A/N. I'll try and get the next chapter up within a month! **

**Thanks for reading! **


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